you're my playground love
by Becks Rylynn
Summary: AU, All Human: Dean Winchester and Ruby Connors strike up a friendship while trying to navigate their way through the rough, murky waters of single parenthood.
1. Part One: Kindergarten

_AN: So...this is my summer story. It was supposed to be a oneshot. It is not. Single parent!Ruby/Single parent!Dean has been on my to-do list for about three years so when I was finally presented with the opportunity to do this story, I got a little carried away._

_Just a little note before we begin: _

_I'm Canadian, so I don't know much about the school system in the states. I tried to do as much research as I could, but unfortunately research can only do so much. Namely the main issue I'm having is the kindergarten cut off date. The kindergarten cut off date is basically a law that states 'if your kid isn't five by this date, sorry! S/He'll have to wait until next year.' For example, the cut off date for where I went to school (in Canada) was December 1st so I made the cut. I was able to start kindergarten while I was four in September and then turned five in October. Every state and province is different and I had a hard time nailing down the cut off date for Kansas. It seemed like every site I went to had a different answer for me. One site said if the child didn't turn five by October 16th they had to wait a year (that one works out perfectly because Ben and Evan turn five on October 11th and 15th respectively) another said August 31st and yet another said December 31st. So...I'm not sure if this story will even be technically factually correct in some places. However, apparently, if your child has been deemed too young (like...what if they turned five October 17th and the cut off date is the 16th) you can take it up with the school board. If it is in fact illegal in Kansas to enroll a four year old in Kindergarten...let's pretend they took it up with the school board, okay?_

_Title of chapter one from the song ''Home'' by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes._

* * *

><p><strong>Title: <strong>_you're my playground love  
><em>**Summary: **AU, All Human: Dean Winchester and Ruby Connors strike up a friendship while trying to navigate their way through the rough, murky waters of single parenthood.  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Dean/Ruby. With minor mentions of past Dean/Lisa and past Ruby/OMC.  
><strong>Character: <strong>Mainly Ruby, Dean, Lisa, Ben, Evan (OMC), and Annabelle (OFC) with some Sam and probably some mentions of John, Mary, Veronica Winchester (OFC little sis for the boys) and various OC's created for Ruby's past.  
><strong>Genre: <strong>Romance/Family  
><strong>Rating: <strong>K+  
><strong>Timeline:<strong> Over the course of a few years. It's AU so it doesn't take place any time in the show. I think it goes from about 2004 to 2010.  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> ...I think if you know about Ben and Lisa and the fact that they exist then you're probably good.  
><strong>Warnings: <strong>Um, all I can think to warn for is a few cuss words here and there. This story is, as mentioned above, all human and all AU, however. If that's not your thing, you should moonwalk out of here while you still can.  
><strong>Dedication: <strong>This one is going out to **ParaCaerOuVoar** (otherwise known as **Cantati**) who is pretty much just awesomecakes. I was going to dedicate an angsty fic to you because I know you love angst as much as I do...but then this happened. Have some comedic fluff instead! Cheers, Rachy!  
><strong>Notes: <strong>Title from the song _Playground Love _by Air. Amazing song, by the way.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything.

* * *

><p><strong>you're my playground love<strong>

_Written by Becks Rylynn_

* * *

><p><strong>Part One: Kindergarten<strong>

_you're the apple of my eye_

* * *

><p><strong>Rapunzel: <strong>_Who are you, and how did you find me?  
><em>**Flynn Rider: **_I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say... Hi. How ya doin'?  
><em>_**- Tangled (2010)**_

* * *

><p><em>September, 2004:<em>

''Mommy,'' the small boy's wide, fearful blue eyes stared up at the large school building looming in front of him in something akin to horror. ''Do I have to go? Can't I just stay home with you?'' His voice shook with fear and when his nervous eyes scanned the courtyard and caught sight of some other kids running around wildly, he paled.

His mother, busy trying to juggle both his baby sister and the diaper bag while simultaneously readjusting his backpack, glanced up at him with what she hoped was at least a semi reassuring smile. ''Afraid not, sweetie.'' She carefully smoothed down her son's shirt before reaching out to straighten his glasses. ''It's not going to be so bad,'' she promised, standing straight. When six month old Annabelle whimpered and blinked open her bleary eyes, her mother rubbed her back gently. ''I'm sure you'll have a good time, Evan,'' she said quietly. ''You'll make friends, you'll play games. I'll bet you won't even want to come home when the day's over. Kindergarten's a breeze, kid. Just don't stress over it.''

Ruby Connors wasn't going to lie. She was probably more anxious about her son's first day of school than he was. He was a smart little boy and she had no doubt he'd flourish if he could get over his fears. It was just that he was small for his age, he had asthma, and he was painfully shy. These were all things that made her a little paranoid. She hated that she wouldn't be there to protect him. And it wasn't just that she wanted to protect him from all the things that scared him about the idea of school. She was all too aware that sometimes people had a nasty habit of focusing their judgment on her family and the fact that maybe she was a little younger than some of the other mothers.

She had packed up her life (and her children's lives) and moved all the way from Wilmington, North Carolina to Lawrence, Kansas because she wanted to get away from the disdainful looks and the passive aggressive comments about her age. She had since come to realize those little looks were going to follow her around wherever she went. Well, that was fine. People could judge her all they wanted, but she would not allow them to judge her kids.

Yes, she had her first child at eighteen. No, that did not make her a whore or an unfit mother.

Why was that lost on so many people?

''I want to stay home with you and Annie,'' Evan whined, stomping his foot for emphasis.

''I know you do, babe,'' she sighed, ruffling his hair. ''But please just give it a chance, okay? For me?''

He swallowed, eyes darting around in fright once again. ''Okay.''

She smiled triumphantly, letting out a breath. ''Good. All right, now, you've got your glasses, your back up glasses because you go through glasses like socks, your inhaler, and your snack. Did we forget anything?''

''Um...Teddy?''

She pinched her lips together. ''I thought you were going to let your sister look after Teddy for today?''

''Well...'' He folded his arms crisply. ''I don't think she's doing a very good job. Look at her. She's sleeping on the job. And where_ is _Teddy? Maybe we should skip this and go home so _I_ can look after Teddy the_ right _way.''

When he tried to move past her, she grasped the back of his jacket and pulled him back. ''Nice try. But Teddy's sleeping in the car. He was tired. _Teddy_ was up all night worrying about today, remember?''

''You should talk to him about that,'' Evan said slowly, biting down on his bottom lip.

''Only if you remember to keep your inhaler with you in your pocket at all times.''

He nodded. ''Deal.''

When the sound of a child screaming in excitement echoed through the air, Annabelle made another noise of displeasure and Evan tightened his lips. Ruby frowned at the sight of the worry on his face. Four year olds should not worry as much as her son did. He was a major stress case. Admittedly, she was about ninety eight percent certain it was something he had, unfortunately, gotten from her. ''Hey,'' she gave him a bright smile, nudging his shoulder slightly. ''Remember what we talked about? You said you'd be brave today. You're my big guy now, right?''

''Right.'' He tried his very best to display a confident smile for his mother, looking incredibly relieved when it only shook a little. ''Brave like a lion.''

''Brave like a superhero,'' she corrected, grazing her fingers over his cheek.

''Like Batman?''

''Just like Batman,'' she winked, holding out her hand. ''So, what do you say, Batman? You ready to rock and roll?''

Evan took a deep breath and clutched at the straps of his backpack. ''I guess so.'' He let out a long slow breath and grasped his mother's warm, safe hand. ''Okay,'' he said bravely, holding her hand tighter. ''Let's go.''

* * *

><p><strong>Daisy: <strong>_What kind of garden do you come from?  
><em>**Alice: **_Oh, I don't come from any garden.  
><em>**Daisy: **_Do you suppose she's a wildflower?  
><em>_**- Alice in Wonderland (1951)**_

* * *

><p>''Wow!'' The boy twirled in the cold morning sun, staring up at the school building with wonder and excitement dancing in his eyes. ''It's so big! It's like...like...<em>giant! <em>Was it always giant?'' Energized to the extreme, he twirled again. Then he promptly decided that he did not have the patience to be bogged down by his unsuitably heavy backpack and threw it at his father.

''Jesus,'' was the exasperated response from his father. ''What the fuck's in this thing?''

''Dean,'' Lisa Braeden hissed, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. ''We're in a school yard.''

''Really? 'Cause I thought we had just stumbled into munchkin land. Does this mean we're _not_ going to be serenaded by the lollipop guild.''

What he thought was a clever and witty response, only got him a dry, narrowed eyed look instead. ''Just tone down the swearing.''

''Dad!'' A few steps ahead of them, eyes still comically wide, their bouncing four year old - literally. He was hopping up and down like a little bunny rabbit on crack - turned to face them, spreading his arms wide. ''Look how huge this place is!'' He spun around on his heel to stare at the school, grin spreading across his lips. ''When's the bell ring? Do we get to play outside? Is there _food_? What about girls? Will there be - ah!'' Two strong arms lifted him off the ground quite suddenly, bringing him up to eye level with his dad.

''Ben,'' he drawled slowly. ''Are you _high_?''

''No!'' The boy all but squealed, squirming in his father's tight grasp. ''I'm excited! Put me down now please. I wanna run. I feel like_ running_.''

''Maybe I shouldn't have let him put syrup, whip cream _and_ chocolate sauce on his waffles this morning,'' his mother mused thoughtfully with a sheepish looking smile.

Dean Winchester somewhat reluctantly lowered his hyperactive son to the ground, arching an eyebrow when Ben's immediate reaction was to start running in circles. The kid was a menace. He was going to raise hell in this school. Dean honestly wasn't sure if he was supposed to be proud or kind of terrified.

Ben ran ahead of his parents like a miniature rocket, stopping only to throw an impatient sounding, ''Come _on_ already!'' over his shoulder.

Dean chuckled under his breath. He wasn't at all worried about his son. Ben made friends faster than any kid Dean had ever met and he wasn't one to get shy. Ever. Dean was more concerned about the other kids. And the poor teacher. His worries weren't exactly unfounded. He loved his son, but Ben was a handful. He was all coiled energy and sugar rushes. He was like a bull in a china shop. He was _spirited._ Lisa had always told him that the mildly insane parts of Ben undoubtedly came from his Winchester genes. ...Yep. Definite possibility.

The sound of sniffling brought Dean's attention back to Lisa. For what seemed like the millionth time that morning, her eyes were glimmering with tears and she was digging around in her purse for a tissue. ''For Christ's sake, Lise,'' he muttered, shaking his head. ''You're not gonna start that again, are you?''

''They're taking my baby!'' She wailed dramatically.

''...Who?''

''The government! The people with the-the schools!''

Dean stared at her for a moment. ''He's just goin' to kindergarten, Lisa. It's not like he joined the Marines.''

''It's just...'' She shook her head, wiping at her eyes. ''Do you remember the day he was born?''

He sighed heavily, shooting her a look. ''Hard to forget. You broke two of my fingers.''

''It seems like it was just yesterday,'' she blubbered. ''And...And he's so little! What if he doesn't make friends? What if he needs me? I'm his mother! I think we should wait another year. I-I mean, he's just a baby!''

''Lisa.'' Dean calmly put his hands on her shoulders, steering her towards the elementary school. ''We've talked about this. We both agreed he's ready. _He's_ agreed he's ready.''

''But - ''

''He's going to be fine. He's going to make friends. He's going to terrify the teacher with his energy... It's all good.'' He slung Ben's Thomas the Tank Engine backpack over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her shoulder when she began to slow down as if she were ten seconds away from digging her heels into the ground and refusing to move. ''He's going to be five in October. He's not a baby anymore, Lisa, and this is what he wants. He's been waiting for this all summer.''

''But what if he gets his hopes all up and then he's disappointed?'' She questioned meekly, toying with the Kleenex in her hand until it was almost nothing more than mulch.

''Well, that would be called life,'' he said reasonably. Wow. It was mind boggling when he was the logical member of this parenting team. Usually she was the calm and collected one and he was the one who wouldn't let Ben play with marbles because marbles _went places._ ''Seriously,'' he told her, ''you need to buck up, Braeden.''

In response, she pulled away from him to blow her nose noisily. And then she shot him a withering glare. ''Screw off, Winchester. I'm allowed to be nostalgic. My baby's growing up.''

Dean squinted against the bright sunlight, looking ahead of them to where Ben was currently twirling around the flagpole. ''At least bring it down a level. You're embarrassing the boy.''

''...He doesn't seem embarrassed.''

''Okay, well, _I'm_ embarrassed. You need to calm down, Lisa,'' he advised. ''Think - ''

''About something else?'' Lisa interrupted. She pursed her lips, stopped in her tracks to stare at him for a moment and then nodded. ''Okay. Can do. Let's talk about your love life instead. I think you need a girlfriend. Then maybe you'd stop hanging around me so much. It would be peaceful. Still wanna talk about something else?''

Ah, yes. The love life topic. He would never understand how she managed to bring up the topic of his - at the moment completely inactive - love life in every conversation they had. It was freaky. It frightened him. For your information, yes, he was single. And no, that did not mean he was an unbearably unhappy, lonely, sad, pathetic man. It just meant he was choosing not to be in a relationship at the current time. Thankfully, that was the moment Ben stopped twirling around the flagpole and made the choice to try and climb it instead, effectively saving his dad from an uncomfortable relationship talk. Well, thank God for his spirited son. ''You know, I'd really love to talk to you about this, Lisa. Really, I would. But as it turns out,'' he gestured towards Ben. ''Our son is, apparently, becoming a monkey so I'm gonna go pry him from the flagpole.''

''Yeah,'' she smirked, folding her arms. ''Am I embarrassing you now?''

''You're crazy,'' Dean threw back lazily before he spun on his heel and started towards Ben.

''You know,'' she called after him. ''That backpack makes you look real manly.''

''Oh, you wish you could rock Thomas like I can!''

* * *

><p><strong>Prince Eric: <strong>_Believe me, Grim, when I find the right girl, I'll know. Without a doubt, it'll just - bam! - hit me. Like lightning.  
><em>_**- The Little Mermaid (1989)**_

* * *

><p>Ruby quietly bounced Annabelle in her arms, trying to shush her daughter and keep her eyes on her son at the same time. It was extraordinarily clear that Evan was not in his element at the moment. He was side stepping the other kids and the toys and he kept sending her pleading looks. She likened it to something like torture. He obviously didn't want to be there. But what else was she supposed to do? He was going to be five in October. People - namely her father - kept telling her she couldn't keep coddling him.<p>

She couldn't keep him out of school if she wanted to. Her job started in a week and she still had to find a babysitter or an acceptable daycare for Annabelle. It wasn't like she had anyone to help her either. Her parents didn't ''agree with her choices'', her sister was a wackjob, and the last she heard, her ex-husband was somewhere in Texas with his new fiancée. It was pretty much just her and the kids right now. As terrifying as it was, she _had_ to make Lawrence work. Evan _had_ to go to school, she_ had _to go to work, Annabelle _had _to _not_ scare off whatever babysitter was brave enough to take the job and they all _had_ to adjust.

His teacher had informed her that she could stay as long as she wanted. According to the teacher, lots of parents did. It was a tempting offer, but Annabelle was tired, fussy, and most likely hungry and Ruby knew that if she stayed for too long, she'd never be able to leave. She waited until Evan stopped shooting big Bambi eyed looks in her direction and when he looked at least half comfortable, as far away from the rambunctious dark haired little boy as possible, she slipped out the door.

Just in time for Annabelle to lose all patience and let out a wail. As the door to the classroom clicked shut and Annabelle started to cry, the parents lingering in the hallway turned to look at her. She grimaced, rubbing the baby's back. ''I know, baby. I know you're hungry.'' She hesitated, glancing behind her towards Evan's classroom. ...Well, he hadn't run out of the room screaming, crying and trying to climb up her leg. That had to be a good sign. She wanted to wait a few more minutes to make sure he was all right, but the looks being thrown in her direction told her Annabelle's crying was beginning to grate on people's nerves.

All right then. Time to go.

Ruby sighed and shifted her daughter into a better position. Unfortunately for her, moving Annabelle caused the diaper bag haphazardly slung over her shoulder to slip off her shoulder and fall to the ground. Great. Just her luck. She was beginning to think she was cursed. Could nothing ever be easy? She bit back a curse, but before she could attempt to retrieve it, someone else swooped in and swept the bag from the floor. She looked up at her savior, took in the extremely handsome man before her, and took possibly a moment too long to respond. ''...Thanks.'' Well, _hey. _In her defense, most fathers she had encountered did not look like him. His general appearance was astonishingly aesthetically pleasing. If you wanted to get technical.

''Sure.'' He offered her an easy smile, which only managed to make him more attractive.

In return, she gave him a smile that she desperately hoped didn't look as tired as she felt. Annabelle's supersonic wails had died down into frustrated whines, but she was wriggling and squirming enough to let Ruby know that A) somebody needed to get food in this baby before she unleashed the rest of her tiny fury onto the world, and B) she did not appreciate being held prisoner in her mother's arms.

''She's not a morning person?'' He guessed, reaching out to place a hand on Annabelle's back when the baby jerked and tried to throw herself out of the safety of her mom's arms.

''Not really,'' Ruby said breathlessly, running a hand over her daughter's head. ''She must get that from me. All my kids seem to get from me are my negative traits.''

''Well, she has your eyes,'' he told her simply. ''I can't imagine that being a negative trait. You have beautiful eyes.''

She narrowed said beautiful eyes, but couldn't quite keep a small, amused smile from washing over her lips. ''Are you trying to flirt with me?''

He smirked, leaning in just a little bit closer. ''Would it be a problem if I was?''

She flicked her eyes to the pretty young dark haired woman he had come with, flipping her phone shut. She recognized them as the parents of the overly hyper boy Evan had been utterly terrified of. ''Dude,'' she deadpanned. ''Your wife is right - ''

''Oh, we're not married,'' the woman said, jumping in between them with a bright, cheery smile. ''Not even close. We just procreated because he's pretty and I'm smart and we felt that blessing the world with a child made from our genes could create world peace. But in general, I sort of find him unbearable. Trust me, sister, you can have him. Although, I do have to warn you - ''

''Lisa.''

She frowned impishly, peering up at him. ''Oh, I'm sorry you don't appreciate me airing your faults to the pretty girl? My bad. Good luck then! I'm going to call your mom and tell her you've got a new girlfriend.'' Still beaming, she patted his arm, winked at Ruby and brushed past him.

Lips parted in surprise, he slowly turned his attention back to Ruby, who was having a hell of a time keeping her laughter in. ''She's kidding,'' he eventually said after a moment of opening and closing his mouth uselessly. ''...I don't have any faults.''

Ruby raised an eyebrow and slipped the diaper bag over her other shoulder, shifting Annabelle to her other hip. ''Thinking you don't have any faults is a pretty big fault.''

He shrugged. ''In time, you'll learn to find my arrogance charming.''

''Oh, I will?''

''Yes. Definitely.''

''In all seriousness,'' she began, untangling Annabelle's small hand from her hair. ''You took a big chance with me. You don't even know if I'm married or not.''

''Are you?''

''No.''

''Then it doesn't matter,'' he decided. ''If I come across someone who looks like you, I'm going to take that chance.''

''You're trying to make me blush.''

''Is it workin'?''

She laughed softly and looked away, hoping he couldn't see that his ploy was working just fine. When she looked back at him, he was offering her his hand, and for reasons incredibly unknown to her, she felt compelled to take it. ''I'm Dean.''

She hesitated a moment. Okay, so she didn't have the best track record with guys. There was Travis, and then there was... Well, all right, so that completed her track record. But it was bad. He messed her up really bad in the whole relationship department. But, she told herself, that didn't particularly matter. This was just a tiny little minor flirting incident. What were the chances of it turning into some storybook or movie like romance? She accepted his hand with a softer smile, met his eyes, and tried to ignore the strange electric charge. ''I'm Ruby.''

* * *

><p><strong>Macaulay Connor: <strong>_It can't be anything like love, can it?  
><em>**Tracy Lord: **_No, no, it can't be.  
><em>**Macaulay Connor: **_Would it be inconvenient?  
><em>**Tracy Lord: **_Terribly.  
><em>_**- The Philadelphia Story (1940)**_

* * *

><p>Ruby quietly shut the door to Annabelle's nursery, baby monitor held in her hand. Finally, the little girl was asleep. Annabelle was, to put it lightly, a demanding baby. Evan had been very relaxed and low maintenance as an infant. Very zen. Everyone had told her to count her lucky stars. Annabelle on the other hand, was not zen at all. She had a terrible habit of waking up when someone tried to leave the room. She'd fall asleep and just as Ruby was trying to tip toe out of the room, she'd wake up and scream bloody murder. It was beyond exhausting<p>

Stifling a yawn, Ruby weaved around the scattered yet to be unpacked boxes in the hallway, reaching up to free her hair from the sloppy ponytail it was in. She should probably unpack those boxes and get some work done tonight while the kids were sleeping. ...Or she could sleep. Yes, that sounded like more fun. Definitely. Today had been _trying._ She thought she deserved some rest.

She paused in front of Evan's room and quietly peeked her head in to see if he was asleep. He wasn't. Lying flat on his back, fingers digging into his teddy bear, Evan was staring intently at his ceiling and frowning deeply. Ruby knocked on the door, smiling softly when he turned his eye to her. ''Hi, sugarbug.'' When he didn't respond to the familiar nickname, she closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. She tip toed across the cold wood floor and slipped into his bed next to him, putting the baby monitor on the bedside table. He sighed heavily and went back to staring at the ceiling. She licked her lips and sunk farther down under the covers, looking up at the ceiling with him. ''You know what we should do this weekend?'' She whispered. ''We should put up those glow in the dark stars we bought.''

He shrugged, lowering his eyes to his bear.

She swallowed a sigh, and tried to keep her smile on her lips. ''Hey, you never really told me about your first day of school. Was it as bad as you thought it would be?''

He tensed, clutched his bear tightly to his chest and sent her an unhappy, wide eyed look. Slowly, unable to meet her eyes, he nodded. ''Yes,'' he rasped out. ''It was. It was really, really, really bad, Mommy.''

That was one sigh she couldn't quite swallow. ''Evan...''

''T-They're all too _loud_ and _messy. _And it's boring. And...And...I hate Ben Winchester!''

''Who's Ben Winchester?''

He scrunched his nose up in disgust. ''He's_ loud _and _messy_ and rude and bouncy and weird and he talks _a lot_ and he makes me nervous a-and then I have to use my inhaler - ''

''Okay,'' she cut in. ''You're not a fan. But, honey,'' she brushed blonde hair out of Evan's face. ''He's just one boy.''

''One really weird boy,'' Evan sulked. ''He's ob...ob...obo...What is it?''

''Obnoxious?''

''Yeah.''

She laughed and wrapped her arm around him. ''Evan - ''

''And I want to be with you,'' he went on, pushing himself into a sitting position. ''I don't want to go to school. I want to stay home with you and Annabelle and Teddy.'' He looked down at his teddy bear, stroking its fur with care. ''I think Teddy missed me today,'' he mumbled unhappily. ''I bet he was sad. Do you want to make Teddy sad?''

''Of course I don't want to make Teddy sad.'' Ruby reached out to run her hand over the well worn (well _hugged_) teddy bear in her son's hand. ''But do you want to know what I think?'' When he didn't answer, she snuggled closer to him, running her fingers through his hair. ''I think Teddy will get used to you being gone. I think that he'll start making friends with your other toys and I think they'll have great adventures during the day. He'll always be glad to see you, but eventually, Evan, Teddy won't be sad anymore. He'll have lots of fun during the day with his new friends, and then when you come home after school, he can have adventures with you. Doesn't that sound like a well rounded life? Doesn't that sound like fun?''

''But what if he doesn't have fun? What if he never makes friends?''

''He will.''

''What if he doesn't?''

''Then at least he will always have you.''

''What if he just spends his days all sad and stuff waiting for me to come home?''

''Then he'll just have to find a way to get through the days and know that it's all going to be all right, because at the end of the day, you're always going to come home to him.''

''...Mommy?''

''Yes, baby?''

''Are we still talking about Teddy?''

''No, sugarbug.''

Evan let out a long breath and laid back down, biting his lip and holding his bear close. ''I'm going to have to go back to school, aren't I?''

''I'm afraid so.'' She winced when she saw the distress written on his face. Part of her wanted to pull him out of kindergarten just so she could see his smile again, but the other part of her knew that he could do this. He could. He was a brilliant little boy and maybe it took him a little longer to get used to change, but eventually he would. She knew he was scared and she knew that all of this change - school, the move, the new house, the complete lack of a male presence in his life - was tough on him, but she also knew that he was stronger and braver than he looked. She had nothing but faith in her son. She knew that if they could just get through these first few months, he would be fine. He _would._ She _had _to believe that. ''Tell you what,'' she started. ''How about you go to kindergarten for a month and if things haven't gotten better after a month, we'll re-evaluate. How does that sound?''

He cleared his throat, playing with the ears of his bear. ''A month?''

''One month.''

''Then...okay. I...I guess I'll go.''

''That's my guy.'' She leaned forwards to wrap her arms around him, enveloping him in a hug. ''You can do it, you know,'' she whispered in his ear. ''I know you can.''

''Do what?'' Evan asked.

''Make friends,'' she said. ''Have fun.''

''You think so?''

She pulled back, cupping his cheek gently. ''Definitely. Now,'' she leaned in to press a kiss to his forehead. ''You should probably get some sleep, okay, buddy? It's getting late.''

For the first time that day, she saw a real, genuinely excited smile cross his lips. It was only for a moment, but it was there. He looked away from her before she could see it light up his eyes, reaching over the side of his bed to pluck a book from the floor. ''Fine, but before you go,'' he handed the book over to her. ''You have to read me a book.''

She looked down at the book, smile threatening to break out over her lips. ''This one again? Evan, don't you ever get tired of this book?''

He blinked up at her owlishly, looking like he genuinely didn't understand the words coming out of her mouth. ''No,'' he said flatly. ''Why would I get tired of this book? It's awesome.''

''All right then. You ready?''

Evan pulled Teddy closer and curled into his mother's side. ''Ready.''

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby looked at her son, waiting patiently for his story to be read, and smiled. For a brief moment for the millionth time, she wondered how time managed to go by so fast, and then she shook her head, and started to read. _''The news just came in from the County of Keck, that a very small bug by the name of Van Vleck is yawning so wide you can look down his neck. This may not seem very important, I know. But it is. So I'm bothering telling you so.''_

* * *

><p><em>''The yawn of that one little bug is still spreading! According to latest reports, it is heading across the wide fields, through the sleepy night air, across the whole country toward every-which-where. And people are gradually starting to say, ''I feel rather drowsy. I've had quite a day.''<br>__**- Dr. Seuss, The Sleep Book (1962)**_

* * *

><p>There were times - few and far between, you must understand - when Dean couldn't help but think things would be easier if he and Lisa were together. Things would be easier if he had someone to help him all the time, things would be easier if he and Lisa could give Ben something more stable than what they had, things would be a lot easier if they had had Ben when they were a little older and a little wiser. But life didn't work out that way. Life worked out this way, and it was the Winchester way to take what they were given and make the best out of it. That was all anyone could do, really.<p>

Lisa was a good mother, and a good girl. She was a good _woman._ Dean didn't have full custody because she was an unfit mother. He didn't feel alone because she didn't have her shit together. In reality, they both pretty much got their shit together the moment Ben came screaming into the world. It was what they had to do. Dean had full custody because Lisa was an overachiever. She worked long hours all week, she went on a lot of business trips, and she didn't have a backyard. She wanted Ben to have a backyard. She was very adamant about that. So, when Ben was two, Dean was granted full custody because he had the big house with the big backyard and that was what Dean and Lisa wanted to give their son. Most of the time it worked out. Lisa spent more time at Dean's house than she did at her own and it wasn't like Ben was losing out on a relationship with his mother because he wasn't. He had a fantastic relationship with his mother.

But there were moments. Just fleeting little moments where Dean would think it would be easier if he and Lisa still felt _that _way about each other. It wasn't a reality. It wasn't ever going to be a reality. They were together exactly one year and nine months before they decided they didn't really work as a couple. All they were ever going to be was friends. They were both fine with that. It was just that...well...

Most of those fleeting little moments? Yeah, they came at bedtime.

Sometimes Dean really wished he didn't always have to be the one to wrangle Ben into bed. It truly was a daunting task. He wasn't even exaggerating a little bit. Ben hated bedtime and often came up with wacky but creative ways to attempt to get out of going to bed. It had always been that way. For the first two years of his life, he hardly spent a night alone in his room, and then when he finally did start spending the nights in his own bed, he'd hide at bedtime because he hated going to sleep. He hated to miss things. It was understandable for a four (almost five) year old. But it was fucking annoying.

Tonight, despite the fact that the boy must have been at least a little tuckered out from his first day of school, was no different.

When Dean poked his head into his son's room to tell Ben to start getting ready for bed, he was expecting to see the little boy playing with his toy cars like he did every night. Instead, he was greeted with the sight of an empty bedroom, toys strewn out all over the floor. ''Ben?'' He whirled around, stomping out into the hall and leaning over the banister. ''Ben!'' First there was the breathtaking moment of heart wrenching panic. Then there was the brief second of frustration because sometimes the largeness of this house had disadvantages, such as when he was searching for his tiny little son who liked to hide in odd places. But then a very familiar giggle floated through the air from behind him.

Dean let out a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. Oh, yeah. That was fine. Just give him a second to jump start his heart. He sagged against Ben's doorframe, eyes trained on the boy's bed. ''Ben...''

''Ben's not here,'' a small voice responded ominously.

''It's really shocking that Ben decided to disappear at bedtime,'' Dean mused, pushing off the wall. ''Because that _never _happens.'' He expertly dodged the five thousand million toys on the floor and leapt onto Ben's bed, pulling out a stuffed dog from underneath him. ''I guess I'll just have to - ''

The door to Ben's closet burst open and the little boy raced out, hollering something about a ''closet monster attack'' at the top of his lungs, right before he threw himself onto top of Dean with a wild battle cry. ''Son of a bitch!'' Dean cried out, catching Ben before he could fall off the bed. ''Closet monsters are real!''

''Told you!'' Ben paused for a moment and then grinned that mischievous little grin of his, waggling his fingers mysteriously. ''And the only way to stop them is to...feed them ice cream.''

''Ice cream, huh?''

''_Chocolate_ ice cream.''

Dean clicked his tongue with a shake of his head. ''Sorry, closet monster. We don't eat ice cream at bedtime around these parts. Those are the rules.''

''...Closet monster doesn't approve of those rules.''

''Too bad closet monsters aren't in charge.'' Dean slipped off the bed, leaning down to pick up a few scattered toys.

As expected, Ben pouted for about a minute and a half, and then moved onto his next get out of bedtime scheme. ''Hey, Dad, you wanna hear about my day?''

''I've already heard about your day,'' Dean said, depositing an armload of toys into the toy chest in the corner. ''Numerous times.'' He picked up a few books from the floor and carefully set them back on the bookshelf. ''By the way, kid, you have really got to start picking up your crap.''

Tongue between his teeth, Ben pushed himself onto his knees, staring up at his father with a frown. ''Mom says you're not supposed to swear around me,'' he pointed out, waving a disapproving finger at his father.

''Do you repeat what I say?''

''No.''

''Then free speech still exists. And you _do_ need to pick up your crap. That's just a fact. Look at this place. It looks like a tornado hit.''

''Maybe I like it like this,'' Ben responded hotly.

Allowing a small huff of laughter to escape his lips, Dean scooped up his son without warning and threw him over his shoulder, ignoring the startled shriek he got in return. ''When I was your age,'' he started, carrying his giggling son out of the room. ''My room was always clean. ...Of course that could have something to do with the fact that after Veronica was born, I had to share a room with little neat freak Sammy, but still.''

''Where are we going?'' Ben screeched through peals of laughter. ''Are you going to throw me in the dungeon? Because I'm not really a closet monster, I swear!''

''It's teeth brushing time, bud.''

''But - ''

''Nope.''

''But - ''

''Still no.''

''I am not happy!''

''I'm okay with that.'' Kicking open the bathroom door, Dean placed Ben on the counter, handed him his toothbrush and stood in front of the door with his arms crossed while Ben stared at him, looking wholly unimpressed. Ben's eyes curiously studied the small opening beside Dean that could potentially allow him to escape so he could run and hide under his bed. Dean quickly stepped in front of it and pointed a finger at him. ''You shall not pass.''

Ben huffed, but seemed to realize that he was not going to be going anywhere because he finally snatched up the tube of toothpaste. He sighed and tried one last time to get out of bedtime by sending his father a puppy dog eyed look. When it didn't work, he sighed dramatically once more and shoved his toothbrush in his mouth. ''I hate bedtime,'' he mumbled through a mouth full of toothbrush and toothpaste. ''I bet...I bet none of my friends have to go to bed this early!''

''Less talking, more brushing.'' Dean leaned against the doorframe, tilting his head to the side curiously. ''You have friends already? I thought today was mostly spent bouncing off walls.''

''I have lots of friends,'' Ben informed him plainly.

''Impressive. You're very personable, aren't you?''

Ben stopped brushing his teeth long enough to stare blankly, then shrugged and went back to brushing his teeth. When he was finished brushing his teeth, probably a lot sooner than a dentist would recommend, he hopped off the counter and puffed his chest out proudly. ''Everybody's my friend,'' he said with a wide, toothy smile. ''Everybody's my friend and I'm their friend.'' He paused, seemed to consider this statement for a moment and then frowned and plastered a very serious look on his face. ''Except Evan. He is _not _my friend.'' He nodded to emphasize this point and then carefully stepped around his father.

''You seem very adamant about that,'' Dean commented.

''Evan,'' Ben stuck his nose up. ''Is a _freak_.''

''Hey.'' Dean scuffed his boy on the back of the head, shooting him a warning look. ''Not nice.''

''You don't know Evan.''

''I don't care. You don't call people freaks. How would you like it if someone called you a freak?''

''Well, that's not - ''

''Ben, you're a freak.''

Ben stopped in his tracks to gape up at his father, looking deeply wounded by that comment. ''What? That's so_ mean. _Why would you say that?''

''Why would you?''

''...Okay, I don't like that.''

''I'm sure Evan didn't either.''

''Ugh, fine. I won't call him a freak.''

''Thank you. Now,'' Dean grasped Ben's arm and spun him around to face him. ''Where exactly do you think you're going?''

''To bed?''

''Nu-uh. Nice try, but you,'' he turned Ben around and steered him in the direction of his own bedroom. ''Are sleeping in your own bed. Don't whine at me,'' he added on quickly when Ben opened his mouth. ''You're a bed hogger. All right? You're a big kid now, dude. A big, annoying kid. You're going to go to school, you're going to sleep in your own bed, and tomorrow, you're going to apologize to this Evan kid for calling him a freak. I'm not raising you to be a douchebag. I'm raising you to be awesome.''

''But that's the problem!'' Ben burst out, throwing his hands up in the air. ''I _am_ awesome! I'm awesome and he's not!''

''People are awesome in their own ways, Benjamin Isaac Winchester.'' Dean absently flicked the light switch off when he walked into Ben's room and the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling lit up in the darkness. ''You're about to spend thirteen years learning that.'' Effortlessly, he lifted Ben into his arms and chucked him onto the bed, much to the young boy's delight. ''You and me, kid?'' Dean continued, jumping onto the bed next to Ben. ''We're Winchesters. Winchester's don't bully people. What do Winchesters do?''

Ben started to roll his eyes, but luckily for him, he remembered at the last minute that perhaps that wasn't the wisest idea. ''We help people,'' he recited flawlessly.

''Exactly.'' Dean grabbed a book from the floor beside the bed and flicked through the pages. ''I'm not sayin' you have to be friends with this boy, but you're not going to make his life a living hell. You hear me?''

''Yeah, Dad.''

''Good. Now, lie down, shut up and let me read because it's way past your bedtime and you have to get up early tomorrow. You have _school._''

''You're very bossy.''

''I know, I think your mother's rubbing off on me.''

Stifling a smile, Ben burrowed under the covers, tucked his stuffed dog under his arm and waited excitedly for his father to start reading.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean glanced over at his beaming little boy and swallowed a small bark of laughter. It didn't happen very often, but every once and awhile, he really wished time could stand still. With a shake of his head, Dean pushed those thoughts out of his mind, cleared his throat and started to read. _''The news just came in from the County of Keck, that a very small bug by the name of Van Vleck is yawning so wide you can look down his neck. This may not seem very important, I know. But it is. So I'm bothering telling you so.''_

* * *

><p><em>''Ninety nine zillion, nine trillion and two creatures are sleeping! So... How about you? When you put out your light, then the number will be ninety nine zillion, nine trillion and three.''<br>__**- Dr. Seuss, The Sleep Book (1962)**_

* * *

><p>The next morning, in Miss. Clementine's kindergarten class, Ruby Connors looked up and caught Dean Winchester's eye from across the classroom. It wasn't intentional. It was just like gravity. It was something that just happened. Completely unavoidable.<p>

Yes.

But it certainly didn't - and _wouldn't _- mean a thing.

What were the chances of that happening?

* * *

><p><strong>Allie: <strong>_They fell in love, didn't they?  
><em>**Noah: **_Yes, they did.  
><em>_**- The Notebook (2004)**_

* * *

><p><strong>end part one<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: By the way, the story Dean and Ruby were reading their kids was - in case you didn't get this - The Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss. And yes, it is, in fact, awesome. Also: Who else hates the changes they're making to the site? I'm totally not down with change.<strong>

**Just a little warning before I end this chapter: Usually my summer stories are updated pretty quickly. This one probably won't be. It'll be finished sometime before July 24th (or at least it better be) but it won't be updated every day or even every other day. The plan is that this story will be exactly six chapters (seven when I make up my mind on whether or not to do an epilogue) but some of them could get pretty long and I'm a perfectionist so...not quite sporadic updates, but not exactly fast. Just FYI.**


	2. Part Two: First Grade

_AN: Yikes! So sorry for taking so long. But as you can see, this part got a little bit on the long side. ...Okay, a lot on the long side._

_Title of this chapter from the song ''Forevermore'' by Katie Herzig and the popular children's rhyme._

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>you're my playground love<strong>

_Written by Becks Rylynn_

* * *

><p><strong>Part Two: First Grade<strong>

_and we'll be jolly friends forevermore_

* * *

><p><strong>Cinderella: <strong>_Oh, that clock! Old killjoy. I hear you. ''Come on, get up,'' you say, ''time to start another day.'' Even he orders me around. Well, there's one thing! They can't order me to stop dreaming.  
><em>_**- Cinderella (1950)**_

* * *

><p><em>April, 2006:<em>

Evan Connors-Natelson was not an overall fan of first grade. He thought it kind of blew. Or at least that was what he had so eloquently told his mother. Despite some hiccups in the early stages, Evan had wound up loving kindergarten. There were days when he felt he simply had better places to be, but for the most part, he had thoroughly enjoyed his time in kindergarten. He made a few friends, he liked the teacher, and he genuinely had fun.

But then the new school year rolled around, his kindergarten best friend moved away, and he was right back where he started from, begging to stay home. Their first year in Lawrence had mainly been about gaining their bearings. Ruby started a new job, Evan started school, and Annabelle started to crawl (and eventually walk). Life was made easier by the fact that Evan loved kindergarten, Ruby loved her job, and Annabelle generally loved everything (except bedtime). Then there was their second year in Lawrence, which was apparently all about wrenches being thrown in their plans from every which way.

The restaurant she had been working at was sold to a new owner and she was let go, her ex had suddenly ceased his child support payments and had subsequently disappeared off the face of the earth, her parents were still adamant that she would never make it alone, which was shaking her confidence more than she cared to admit, she still got those judgmental looks, she was pretty sure she found a gray hair the other day, and then there was Evan and his brand new buttload of issues.

Those were the reasons why she very nearly broke down and sobbed right there on the street corner when Evan's principal called her in the middle of her job hunt to tell her that they had some things to discuss regarding Evan and it would be best if she got down to the school right away. Awesome. What else could life throw at her?

And then when she was walking down the sidewalk because she couldn't afford to waste what little money she had on gas, it started to rain.

Because that was her life.

* * *

><p><strong>Alice: <strong>_It would be so nice if something would make sense for a change.  
><em>_**- Alice in Wonderland (1951)**_

* * *

><p>Ruby rushed into the school wet and miserable, and was quickly told to have a seat and wait. How nice. Grumbling under her breath, she collapsed into one of the world's most uncomfortable chairs and stripped off her wet jacket. She did not understand spring weather. One minute she had to race down the street holding a newspaper over her head because it was pouring rain and as soon as she reached the block the school was on, it was sunny and mild again. Why did the universe <em>hate<em> her? Today was just not her day, was it? While she sat there, wringing out her hair, she went over the mental list of possible reasons for this emergency meeting.

Evan couldn't be sick or hurt. They wouldn't have made her wait if he was. It couldn't be about his grades. She had just gotten his report card in the mail and he was doing great. Maybe not so great in gym class, but she found it incredibly unfair that her son was being judged on his athletic performance. He couldn't help that he had asthma, could he? Maybe this whole meeting was a good thing. Maybe he had...won something. Maybe he was so smart they wanted to turn him into Doogie Howser. All right, so that last one was probably unlikely but a mother could dream, couldn't she?

Ruby tried to shake the negative thoughts from her head, pulling out her compact mirror to survey her appearance. Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall momentarily. She really hoped this wouldn't be a long meeting. She had to go pick up Annabelle from daycare soon. She was just trying to smooth down her frizzy hair when the sound of footsteps approaching drew her away from her reflection. She looked up just in time to catch _him_ sweeping into her line of vision.

Ah. Suddenly it all made sense.

Evan had a couple of friends, but generally he tried to keep to himself. He didn't cause trouble and he wasn't a loud boy. He had no strong opinions on any of his classmates. Except one. There was one boy who managed to bring out the worst in Evan. Ben Winchester. He was everything Evan wasn't. Loud, stereotypically cool, he made friends easily, he wasn't shy at all, he was athletic, he was energetic, and he was wise cracking. He was no wallflower. There was something about him that just really set Evan off for some reason.

The rivalry between the boys was, among other things, one of the many reasons why she turned down Dean Winchester's offer to buy her a coffee the previous year. She couldn't fraternize with the father of her son's number one enemy. That just wasn't right.

However, despite the initial rejection and the following pouting (from him), she had somehow managed to strike up something of a friendship with Dean. And Lisa, if she's being honest. She didn't know how he did it - she was usually somewhat of a standoffish character, you know - but somehow he managed to draw her in from the start. Something about him intrigued her. What that something was, she had no idea. Maybe it was the fact that they were both young, single parents. Maybe it was because their son's were both younger than the other kids in their class. Or maybe it was just that he made her laugh when she was down like nobody else could. Whatever it was, it was there and it was stronger than either of them would admit out loud.

Dean was...well, he was a lot like his son. Very energetic, always talking, always cracking jokes, he was a charmer when he wanted to be and a goofball all the time, and he was a good friend. She had gotten used to being surprised by some of the things he said and did, but she had not been prepared for this. She had pictured him many different ways (shut up) but she had never pictured him like this. She watched, open mouthed, as he said something to the harried looking woman behind the desk, effectively making her smile and blush. The moment he turned around and locked eyes with her...she burst out laughing.

He rolled his eyes and slumped into the chair next to her. ''Hello to you too, sweetheart.''

''I'm sorry,'' she apologized. ''It's just...'' She looked him up and down, biting down on her tongue to keep from laughing. ''I've never seen you in a suit before. You look so respectable. ...And don't call me sweetheart.''

Dean groaned and practically ripped his tie from his neck. ''I try my hardest to avoid these monkey suits.''

She giggled again, covering her mouth to stifle it. ''Is it because you kind of look like a gigolo?''

''Yeah, well, you kind of look like a drowned alley cat but you don't see me laughing about it.''

''Oh, meow.'' She curled her fingers into imaginary claws and hissed at him. ''Somebody's feeling feral.''

''I hate suits.''

''But why?'' She scooted closer to him to smooth down his wrinkled navy blue shirt, straightening the collar he had messed up. ''You look so adorable.''

''Adorable?'' He sneered. ''You think I look adorable?''

She smirked and patted his cheek, leaning back in her chair without a word.

''In what world am I adorable?'' He went on in a mumble. ''I don't want to be adorable. I'm deeply offended by that comment. I'm not a child.''

''So...'' She swung one leg over the other and slid her eyes in the direction of the principal's office. God, she felt like a teenager again, sitting in the principal's office jigging her leg nervously, wondering whether or not she was in trouble. It happened frequently when she was a kid. She didn't really want to go down that road again. She certainly didn't want her son going down that road. He was supposed to make his own mistakes, not repeat hers. ''What do you think we're here for?''

''Who knows? Maybe they killed each other,'' he suggested, oblivious to the way her eyes widened.

''Where's Lisa?'' She asked, trying in vain once again to smooth down her increasingly out of control hair.

''Her sister just had a baby so she went out to Indiana to help out for a few days. Left this morning. Figures Ben would pull a stunt like this when his mother's not here.'' He shook his head. For a brief moment, all the laughter went out of his eyes, replaced by something like disappointment. It was gone in a flash when a smirk crossed his lips and a small laugh escaped. ''The last time I was in a principal's office it was because I was caught with Carolyn Sheppard in the janitor's closet. Nice girl. Crazy, but nice. We did some _wild_ things in that closet.'' He paused, thinking hard and ignoring the look she gave him. ''...I wonder what she's up to these days...''

''Last time I was in a principal's office,'' Ruby mused, trying to ignore Dean's rambling about Carolyn Sheppard. ''I was four months pregnant and had just thrown up all over my math teacher. That was right around the time everyone found out I was knocked up. Very dramatic.''

''Someday your life will be made into a movie,'' he said with a grin. ''Get Denzel Washington to play me.''

She opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it, snapping her jaw shut. ''What are the chances that we're here for two completely unrelated incidents?'' She asked after a moment of silence. ''I mean, do you think that could be the case? Maybe the boys are becoming friends. What's your opinion on that?''

''Almost definitely not,'' Dean stated confidently. ''Certainly wouldn't put any money on it.''

''Mr. Winchester. Ms. Connors.''

They both turned at the sound of the principal's voice. Dean was on his feet in an instant, all charm and pleasant smiles as he held his hand out to Principal Clarke. He greeted the man with a slow, ''Fredrick, nice to see you again'' in a voice oozing with that ever present charisma he seemed to pull out of thin air.

Ruby was a little less charming. She scrambled to her feet and as soon as she stood, her jacket and purse slipped off her lap and fell to the floor. She hastily snatched her items up off the floor and tried to free one of her hands so she could shake _Fredrick's_ hand. ''Hi, Principal Clarke,'' she greeted breathlessly with a feeble smile.

Lips twitching, eyes glinting in amusement, Dean tugged her jacket and her purse from her and she let out a breath. It spoke volumes, really. Ruby was always going to be the stressed out, unlucky mother of two and Dean was always going to be the amazingly put together, easy going single dad. Complete opposites.

''I'd say it's nice to see you again,'' Ruby began, pushing limp hair out of her face. ''But under the circumstances, that doesn't feel entirely appropriate.''

''Yes, well...'' Principal Clarke smiled tightly and looked in between the two. ''Shall we step into my office then?''

* * *

><p><strong>Pat Pemberton: <strong>_What would happen if I ever dropped you?  
><em>**Mike Conovan: **_I'd go right down the drain.  
><em>**Pat Pemberton: **_And?  
><em>**Mike Conovan: **_I'd take you right down with me, shorty.  
><em>_**- Pat and Mike (1952)**_

* * *

><p>The first thing Dean noticed upon stepping into Fredrick Clarke's office was the boys. Ben was sitting slumped in a chair with a fat lip, looking bored and like he'd much rather be elsewhere and Evan was sitting nervously in a chair next to him with broken glasses, inhaler clenched tightly in his hands. Oh, <em>geez<em>. Little dudes were getting out of control.

Don't get him wrong, Dean wasn't happy with Ben right now. Far from it. He didn't want to assume, but it was probably safe to say most of this was Ben's fault. It wasn't like the kid had a filter. He pretty much just said whatever he was thinking and sometimes, that got him in trouble. He was a lot like his father in that aspect. But the way Dean saw it, kids had to make mistakes. Otherwise what could you hold over their heads for the rest of their lives? Ruby did not appear to share his viewpoint on the matter at hand. In fact, she kind of looked like she was having an internal panic attack. She looked like she was going to have to borrow her son's inhaler.

She was cute when she was panicked.

''So,'' Dean draped Ruby's coat over the back of her chair and handed her back her purse. ''What's the haps?'' He sat down next to her, ignoring the look of utter shock she sent him at his cavalier attitude. ''What seems to be the problem?'' He jerked his thumb in the direction of the kids. ''Our boys rumblin'?'' He sent a sidelong glance at Ruby. ''You like the way I say our boys?''

Fredrick, seated behind his desk looking all important and stern, did not look amused. A far cry from the Fredrick Clarke who had known Dean his entire life and who had a regular Wednesday night poker game with John Winchester. ''The problem, Dean, is that your boys seem to have a long standing feud that, today, escalated into a physical confrontation.''

''...So they got in a fight,'' Dean echoed needlessly.

Fredrick eyed him over his glasses. ''Yes, Dean. They got in a fight.''

''Hey, don't say my name like that, Freddy. I'm not an idiot. I was just making sure.''

''Very well then.''

Ruby made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like something halfway between a groan and a whimper. Throwing a hand over her face, she slouched down farther into her chair, looking completely and utterly exhausted. Now, Dean wasn't big on hugging and comforting and all that crap, but right then all he could really think about was that she needed some down time. Big time. She was friends with Lisa. He was going to have to talk Lisa into taking Ruby on a...spa day. Or whatever it was that Lisa did with her girl friends. For now, he was content with simply reaching over to pat her knee comfortingly.

Evan, at least, had the decency to look ashamed, head bowed, hands nervously fiddling with his inhaler. Ben on the other hand, did not look like he cared one little bit. That was, in Dean's book, unacceptable. Apparently Ruby wasn't happy with Ben's 'tude either because before Dean even had a chance to reprimand his son, Ruby was pointing a finger in his direction, looking dangerous and mama bear like. ''Kid, you better sit up before I make you. This isn't a joke.''

Wide eyed and stunned, Ben sat up.

Ruby turned her head to send Dean an apologetic glance. ''Sorry. Overstepping my boundaries?''

''No,'' Dean smirked. ''Go ahead. That was hot. And you,'' he leveled Ben with a glare. ''Don't be an asshole.''

Fredrick cleared his throat pointedly, shooting Dean a definitive warning look.

''Sorry. Retract that. I meant don't be a dick.'' Another look. ''Jerk?'' Look. ''Ben, don't be disrespectful of your elders. Especially when they're authority figures.''

''How did this fight even start?'' Ruby questioned, turning her eyes to the boys. Well, that one question seemed to cue the dramatics. All at once, Ben and Evan erupted into excuses, both pointing the finger at the other. Dean had a hard time keeping up to be quite frank. Mostly what he got from their argument was that Ben called Evan a geek and Evan retaliated by calling Ben dumb, so Ben pushed, Evan pushed back and it was all downhill from there. Literally. Fredrick said the boys rolled down a hill during their fight. That explained the numerous grass stains, Ben's fat lip and Evan's broken glasses.

When the boys finally shut their pieholes (halted mid sentence by Dean's deafening whistle and his declaration of ''all right, we get it. You're both little brats. Shut up about it'') the rest of the meeting went on. It seemed to pass in snail speed. Fredrick was a fine man; he was just a tad on the dull side. He pretty much spent the entire meeting lecturing all four of them and Dean possibly, might have tuned out a little. In his defense, it was only because he was trying to come up with a suitable punishment for his son. He was thinking no TV or video games for a week. Maybe a week and a half. The meeting ended with the boys being suspended for the rest of the day.

Evan looked like he was about to burst into tears when Fredrick told them they were to go collect their things and leave for the day. Ruby looked like she was scrambling for something to say. Ben looked smug. And Dean was just so beyond fed up with this shit. He was sick of this, he really was. Why was it impossible for Ben and Evan to get along? Dean got along famously with Ruby. Even Lisa liked Ruby. Why was it such an improbable task for the boys to at least be civil with each other?

Dean knew both boys. Once upon a time, before Ben and Evan, there was Dean and Sam. For a very long time, Dean hadn't gotten along with his brother. They were so different. Dean was reckless and Sam wasn't. Sam thought he was better than Dean and Dean thought Sam was nothing more than a pompous jerk. They were opposites who did not go together. Until over six years ago when they crashed together. When Dean knocked up Lisa without knowing anything about her other than the fact that she was a yoga teacher who could put her legs behind her head, Sam was, for some reason, the first person he went to. He was the only person who didn't look at him like he was some sort of failure at life. Sam was the one who very plainly told Dean to get his shit together before the baby came, and to just ''get over yourself and take over the family business, Dean. We all know you're gonna sooner or later.''

If Dean and Sam could get all buddy-buddy-besties-BFF then so could Ben and Evan. Dean didn't necessarily want to wait until Ben knocked up a girl to reach that point, so he was thinking he was going to have to jump start this learning curve.

He watched closely as Ruby tiredly dragged herself to her feet, looking worn out and just plain defeated. Clearly he was not the only one fed up with this ongoing feud between their kids. This was not something he was going to admit out loud, but it really bothered him when she looked that upset. She was _so _beautiful (shut up, he was allowed to appreciate a beautiful woman when he saw one. That didn't mean he was in love with her or anything), but she was always so tired looking. So, naturally, being the _noble_ and _gallant_ gentleman that he was, he stepped in with a solution. He wasn't sure if this was going to be a solution to end all of their problems immediately, but it was certainly worth a shot.

Out in the hallway, Dean grasped Ruby's arm before she could slip away, pulling her almost right into his chest. ''Ruby,'' he grinned down at her, and some part of him thrilled madly when annoyance flashed in her eyes briefly. ''I have an idea.''

''I'll alert the media,'' she sighed out.

''Do you ever get tired of having a tongue made out of razorblades?'' He asked.

''Rarely. Do you ever get tired of being so damn charming?''

''Oh, not in a million years, gorgeous.''

''What's your idea?''

He slipped an arm around her shoulders, turning her away from Ben and Evan. He snuck a glance over his shoulder, eyeing Evan, staring at the ground in shame, and Ben, digging around in his backpack. ''I think we need to get those two together.''

She sighed again, staring up at him with pinched lips and a clear _you're an idiot_ look on her face. It was actually quite attractive. ''Um...yeah,_ no_. Dean, their whole problem is being together,'' she said slowly. ''We don't need to get them together. We need to keep them apart. I don't feel like dealing with bloodshed.''

''No, no, see,'' he put his hands on her shoulder to keep her from running away from him. ''We need to get them together under our supervision and we need to make them deal with their issues without getting into a slap fight. Think about it, Ruby. We need to deal with this crap before it goes on any longer.''

She hesitated, biting her lip and looking over her shoulder. ''Under our supervision?''

''The whole time,'' he promised. ''Just trust me, all right? Can you do that? If we let this continue, they'll hate each other for the rest of their lives. Where will that leave you and I?''

She folded her arms over her chest. ''You and I?''

Ah. Yes. That awkward moment when you imply there is some sort of relationship before you even ask her out. Well, now Dean could honestly say he knew what that moment felt like.

He cleared his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. ''...As friends. Where will you and I be as friends? We'll have to have some sort of secret friendship with code names and secret knocks and really, that just sounds complicated. I'll keep forgetting the secret knocks and there'll have to be costumes and... It's a whole big thing. Let's avoid it.''

She tried, and subsequently failed horribly, to keep a smile from stretching over her lips, looking down to hide it from him. After a moment of contemplation, she took a deep breath and peered up at him through her eyelashes. ''All right.'' she relented. ''We'll do it your way.''

''Aw, I knew you'd - ''

She held up her hand to halt him mid sentence. ''We'll do it tomorrow. I need to check on some things with Annabelle's daycare, but...'' She paused, digging around in her purse for something. When she pulled out a pen with a triumphant grin, she grabbed his hand and scribbled her phone number on the palm of his hand. ''...Call me on my cell later tonight and I'll let you know what time is good for me. Sound good?''

''You're giving me your phone number? _Score_.''

''_Dean._''

''I'm kidding, Ruby,'' he chuckled lightly, brushing his hand over her arm lightly. ''Everything is going to be fine. They can't kill each other while we're watching them.''

''All I'm saying is that this better not make things worse. I'm trusting you, Dean. That is not something that comes easily for me.'' She pointed the pen at him. ''I just want you to understand that.'' Licking her lips, she looked over her shoulder towards her son, lifted his wrist to check his watch and then offered him a small smile. ''I have to go pick up Annabelle. Don't forget to call.'' She turned to go, but at the last minute turned around, lithe little fingers buttoning up his shirt properly. ''Sorry,'' she murmured under her breath, brushing invisible lint off his shirt. ''That was driving me _crazy._'' She shot him a bright smile and then spun on her heel, beckoning her son towards her.

She was halfway down the hallway, Evan trailing after her still looking like a wounded puppy dog, when she stopped and turned around. ''Oh, and it's Mama Bear, by the way.''

''Excuse me?''

''My code name. Just in case.''

''Ah. Got it.''

Dean stared after her, tilting his head to the side. He had known Ruby Connors for a year and a half and he still had no idea what it was about her that kept sucking him in. She was just...she was really _something. _She was one hell of a woman. ''Ben,'' he glanced at his son out of the corner of his eye when the boy came to stand next to him. ''That woman is something special.'' Ben looked up at him, lips twitching, and Dean suddenly remembered he was supposed to be angry right now. ''By the way, dude, when we get home, I'm makin' you clean the pool.''

''Aww.'' Ben groaned, face crumpling. ''But the pool's all full of bugs and stuff!''

Dean smirked. ''Exactly.''

* * *

><p><strong>Rapunzel: <strong>_I have made the decision to trust you.  
><em>**Flynn Rider: **_A horrible decision really.  
><em>_**- Tangled (2010)**_

* * *

><p>Ruby was unsure about this whole thing. Ben and Evan weren't each other's number one fans. They had proven that time and time again. Not to mention they were two six year olds. How likely was it that they were going to sit down and talk rationally about the reasons for their hatred of each other? They were more likely to get in a bickering match with no end in sight. Nevertheless, the next day, Ruby found herself spending her Saturday loading her kids in the car and trying to find her way to the Winchester house.<p>

She had no idea what was going to happen today. She couldn't even wager a guess. Possibly some tears? Six year old name calling maybe? The day was an unknown. She was about ninety five percent sure the only reason she had agreed to this was because Dean had looked so proud of his brilliant plan. All she knew was that Evan seemed genuinely embarrassed by the events that had transpired and therefore, he had not pitched a hissy fit when she told him the plan.

Ruby glanced in the rearview mirror, trying not to frown when she saw Evan staring out the window looking anxious. ''Evan...''

''Annie's chewing on her blanket again,'' he interrupted quietly. ''It's gross. She's getting slobber all over the place. She's like a dog.''

''Well, then stop her.''

''We have to go back home,'' he said suddenly, pulling the blanket out of his sister's mouth. ''I forgot my inhaler.''

''It's in my purse.''

Evan let out a huge sigh. ''Mom, I'm sorry I got in the fight, but I really don't think this is going to work.''

''Sweetie, Dean and I just want to talk to you and Ben. We want to get to the bottom of whatever it is that - ''

''He's always the one who starts it!'' Evan burst out loudly as Ruby turned down a residential road.

She eyed the big houses and the picket fences lining the street dubiously. ''This can't be the right street...''

''He's always being so loud and, like,_ hyper _and he thinks it's weird th-that maybe I'd rather read than play ball with him!'' Evan crossed his arms tersely, slumping down in his seat and picking at his jeans. ''There's nothing wrong with me just 'cause I'm good at school,'' he mumbled. ''That doesn't make me a freak.''

''You're right, honey,'' she soothed. ''It doesn't. You are not a freak and hopefully today you and Ben will be able to work through some of your...'' She trailed off when she pulled into the driveway of Dean's supposed house, jaw dropping at the sight before her. Well. Unexpected was a bit of an understatement.

''...Whoa,'' Evan breathed out.

''This _cannot _be the right address,'' Ruby muttered under her breath. The house in front of her, with a gate and an honest to God white picket fence, could have friggin' squashed her tiny little three bedroom fixer upper with the questionable paint job and the precarious, rotting wooden steps outside. It wasn't that the house was a mansion because it honestly wasn't. It was bigger than her house, yes, but that wasn't saying much. The shock factor only sunk in because this was _Dean's_ house and this was not at all what she had been expecting from _Dean's _house. Maybe it was the whole 'don't judge a book by its cover' theory coming back to bite her in the ass, but she had never really pictured Dean with a whole lot of money.

What? He drove a classic muscle car most of the time (except on those rare occasions, usually in the winter, when he'd pull up to the school in a shiny black pickup truck that was so big it made him

look like a dwarf), he dressed like a guy with a real rough and tumble job (jeans with holes in them, worn out heavy jackets, most likely steel toed boots; most of the other mothers assumed he was in construction or something to that effect), and he almost always needed a shave. Yesterday had been the first time she had ever seen him in a suit. Come to think of it, he had always been pretty mum about his job.

Holy crap, maybe he really _was_ a gigolo.

Wait, no. That was ridiculous.

Ruby pushed her hair out of her face and cut the engine, staring up at the house. Once she had gotten over the shock of seeing Dean's beautiful house, she hauled herself out of the car and gathered up her kids. If she was being honest with herself, she was half expecting some hoity-toity rich old lady to open the door and tell her she had the wrong house. Instead, when the front door did swing open, it was Dean Winchester who stood in front of her in all his glory.

His sparkling eyes locked onto hers the second he saw her and a smile started to work its way over his lips. Annabelle, overjoyed at the sight of someone she recognized, immediately beamed at Dean and greeted him with a garbled chirp of one of the only words she knew, arms thrown up in the air happily. ''Hi!''

Without missing a beat, Dean shifted his eyes to Annabelle, grinned, and threw his own arms up in the air. ''Hi back, tiny girl!''

Unable to contain herself any longer, Ruby pointed an accusatory finger at Dean and narrowed her eyes into slits. ''You're rich!''

He lowered his arms, smile fading. ''I most certainly am not,'' he scoffed. ''My _parents'_ are rich.'' He winked and leaned in closer to her. ''I just happen to have a lot of money.''

''Why...Why wasn't I notified?''

He shrugged. ''You never asked.'' He slid his eyes to Evan. ''Evan! Buddy! How's tricks? You ready to get down and dirty?''

''I don't like dirt, Mr. Winchester,'' Evan replied stiffly. ''It's _dirty_, and there are germs.''

Dean blinked. ''Huh. ...Fair enough. But don't call me Mr. Winchester. Makes me feel old. It's Dean.''

Evan, who was probably still scarred from being yelled at by his grandmother for not addressing one of her bridge friends as Mrs. Lewinski (despite the fact that he couldn't even pronounce Lewinski at three years old) looked up at his mother imploringly. And people wondered why Ruby moved away from her parents. Ruby offered her son a smile and a nod, and did her best to ignore the fact that Annabelle was chewing on her purse strap. She did not understand her daughter's sudden fascination with chewing and/or licking random objects. It wasn't like Annabelle was teething or anything. Maybe she shouldn't let her kids watch dog movies anymore. It was an odd phase.

''Are you comin' in or not?'' Dean asked, stepping aside to let them in.

Ruby took a step inside the house, giving Dean a grateful smile when he took the diaper bag and her purse from her hands. Evan was far more hesitant, heaving a heavy sigh as if it took an unbearable amount of work just to step over the threshold. His slumped shoulders and downcast eyes told his mother that his shyness problem was coming out in full force once again. ''Evan,'' Dean said seriously. ''Would you like a cookie?''

''No, thank you,'' Evan mumbled.

''Really? 'Cause you seem like you haven't met your quota of sugar for the day.''

Evan lifted his eyes, blinking. ''...What?''

''You look _glum_, kiddo.''

Evan shrugged and peered up at his mother momentarily. ''I just don't think this is going to work.''

''We'll never know until we give it a shot,'' Dean said, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. ''So buck up, soldier. Doing this for your mom and I won't kill you.''

''What if it does?''

''Then I guess you can come back and haunt us as a grand _I told you so_. Now move your little butt,'' Dean steered Evan farther into the house, tossing a smile over his shoulder for good measure. ''Ben's outside cleaning the pool. If he acts like an ass, I'll let you push him in, okay?''

Oh my god, there was a pool? Jesus Christ. Ruby pulled her hair out of her daughter's mouth and hurried after them. She wasn't sure what she was expecting from the Winchester household pool, but wow. Was it ever beautiful! She felt her jaw drop open the moment she stepped out onto the deck, squinting against the bright sunlight. It was like a picture out of some sort of resort. Sparkling water, a stone wall, and green plants. It was gorgeous. ''You have a pool,'' she squeaked out.

Dean hummed in agreement, bobbing his head up and down as he snatched a glass off the table, swirled the contents, and drained it in one gulp. ''I hate it,'' he said in a monotone.

''And you have a white picket fence,'' she murmured.

''Yep,'' he nodded. ''It used to be blue. I painted that stupid fence all by myself. Ben was supposed to help me but it all ended up being very Huckleberry Finn.''

''Tom Sawyer.''

''Whatever.''

''Wow,'' Evan piped up, voice thick with wonder as he eyed the unhappy looking Ben who was busy dragging a skimmer over the pool's surface. ''I sure am glad we don't have a pool,'' he stated, looking up at Dean. ''All my mom did was take away TV and video games and hide the cookie jar.''

''Eh, I did all that too,'' Dean drawled. ''But we just took the cover of the pool for the summer and I really didn't want to be the one to clean it. Hey, Ben!'' Ben, scowl and all, looked up from what he was doing, eyes widening at the sight of the Connors family witnessing his humiliation. Dean jerked his finger towards the sparkling water's surface. ''You missed a spot!'' Ben scowled, and Dean burst into laughter.

''What exactly is it that you do?'' Ruby gave Dean a critical onceover and frowned suspiciously. ''Are you in the mafia?''

''I'd tell you,'' Dean smirked, ''but then I'd have to kill you.''

''You don't have a secret life as a porn star, do you?''

''You got me.''

''Dad!'' Ben whined. ''Can I stop now?''

''You might as well,'' Dean sighed and put his empty glass down, striding towards his son and leaving Ruby staring after him.

''I'll bet they rob banks,'' Evan supplied helpfully.

''Yeah?'' Ruby gazed down at him. ''You think?''

''Totally.''

* * *

><p><strong>Mortimer Brewster: <strong>_Loo__k, I probably should have told you this before but you see...well...insanity runs in my family. ...It practically gallops.  
><em>_**- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)**_

* * *

><p>''Why are we outside?'' Ben complained, arms folded over his chest as he stood in his front yard with a pout on his face. ''It's hot.''<p>

''And there are bugs,'' Evan added, swatting away a fly with a grimace of disgust.

''Because I don't want you breaking shit in my house,'' Dean said lazily, putting Annabelle down on the grass.

''Boys,'' Ruby looked in between Ben and Evan, hands on her hips. ''This is how it's going to go...''

Off to the side, Annabelle toddling around the grass by his feet, Dean shook his head in something that looked a lot like a fond sort of amusement. ''Ruby, I really think - ''

''Zip it, Daddy Warbucks,'' she retorted, holding up a hand to silence him. ''You're the one that wanted to get them together. Well, now they're together and whether they like it or not, they are going to talk about their feelings and their issues like mature adults.''

''Okay,'' Dean said slowly. ''But they're not adults, honey. They're six. They still pick their noses and eat their boogers.''

''Ew, gross!''

''We do not!'' Evan paused, throwing a wicked smirk in Ben's direction. ''...He might...''

Ben let out a huff and took a threatening step towards Evan. When Evan stuck his tongue out in response, Ben broke into a run. Ruby held up her hand and Ben ran straight into the palm of her hand, arms flailing wildly. ''This is not conflict resolution,'' she got out through gritted teeth. ''This is conflict dissolution.''

''Good one,'' Dean complimented.

''Thank you. And don't call me honey.'' Ruby held both arms out to keep the boys away from each other. ''Listen, children,'' she bit out impatiently. ''If either one of you ever want to get out of here, then I suggest you do what I say. Am I making myself clear?''

Evan nodded immediately, but Ben was a little more hesitant, looking towards Dean as if to as _do I really have to?_ ''You better damn well listen to her, kid,'' Dean ordered. ''I'm not afraid to throw you in the pool.''

''Good.'' Ruby smiled cheerfully. ''Evan,'' she turned to her son. ''Let's start with you. Without raising your voice, I want you to tell me how Ben makes you feel.''

Evan took a deep breath and crossed his arms uncomfortably to mirror Ben's stance. ''Angry.''

''And why does he make you feel angry?''

''...'Cause he's a turdface?''

Ruby sucked in a breath and shot a glance towards Dean. He was too busy trying to get Annabelle to dance with him - much to the little girl's delight - to pay much attention to Ruby's attempt at conflict resolution. She lifted her eyes to the sky briefly, and then let out a breath. ''Evan...''

Evan groaned and rolled his eyes. ''Fine. He makes me angry because he makes fun of me for liking reading and stuff. He thinks it's weird but it's not. It's not weird. _I'm_ not weird.''

''Okay,'' Ruby nodded enthusiastically, ruffling her son's hair. ''Good, that's good. And Ben,'' she shifted her gaze to the other boy. ''How does Evan make you feel?''

''Frustrated.''

''Why is that?''

Ben smirked. Ruby did not foresee good things in that smirk. ''Because he's a freak.'' Yep. Called it. ''And he's a dork,'' he went on. ''Oh!'' His eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers triumphantly. ''He's a _fork!_ You're a fork, Evan!''

''That doesn't even make sense, Ben!''

''It doesn't have to,'' Ben said smugly. ''_I'm_ not a fork.''

''Without raising your voices!'' Ruby yelped. ''Without raising your voices!''

''No, you're a bully!'' Evan raged, advancing on Ben. ''You're a mean bully!''

''I'm not a bully! I just don't like you!''

''I don't like you either!''

''Why do you have to be such a geek?'' Ben asked desperately. ''Can't you just try to fit in?''

''Maybe I don't want to fit in.''

Ben snorted. ''_Everybody_ wants to fit in, Evan.''

''I don't!''

''You...'' Ben, red faced and breathing heavily, pointed a finger at Evan. ''You think you're better than me! You think you're better than everyone just 'cause you're smart! That's what you think, and I don't like it! That's what makes you a fork! If I'm a bully, you're a bully too!''

Evan paled and took a step back. Ruby frowned and pinched her lips together. Maybe -_ Maybe _- Evan did sort of have a bad habit of judging people based on their intelligence. It wasn't a good thing, she knew that. But it was not an easy task to get through to a six year old boy. ''I...I don't...'' Evan trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. ''I don't act like I'm better than other people. ...Do I?''

''Yes,'' Ben said bluntly. ''You think...You think that 'cause you're good at all that readin' and writin' stuff that it makes you better, but it doesn't. It makes you a jerk.'' With one last scowl sent in his sworn enemy's direction, Ben spun on his heel and stomped away from them, tossing an angry, ''I'm done with this!'' over his shoulder.

Evan didn't say anything, swallowing hard and looking up at his mother with big helpless Bambi eyes. She got the feeling that he was greatly distressed by Ben's view of him. She spared a glance towards Dean, who was shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose, one hand holding onto Annabelle's. ''Evan,'' Ruby started. ''Baby - ''

''Attack the fork!''

Really? Still with the _fork _thing? How long was that going to last?

In the span of about ten to fifteen seconds, there was a sudden influx of chaos - exactly the thing she had been trying to avoid - when Ben suddenly reappeared and charged at Evan with an armload of water balloons. She probably should have done something to halt chaos in his tracks but Dean's arms pulled her back and away from the boys before she could, effectively saving her from being beamed with a water balloon. Exactly two out of four water balloons hit their intended target. One bounced off of Evan's chest and crashed to his feet, soaking his shoes. The other one, however, hit him square on the shoulder hard and exploded, soaking his shirt. Wild droplets of water splashed onto his glasses and his mouth parted in shock.

''Damn it, Ben!'' Dean hollered, lifting a startled Annabelle into his arms. ''One of these days, I'm gonna find your friggin' stash.''

Evan sighed loudly.

A thick dead silence coated over everyone as Ben smiled smugly and water dripped down Evan's arm. Evan said nothing, slowly taking off his glasses to dry them with the section of his shirt that wasn't wet. His movements were slow, deliberate and seemed calm on the outside, but Ruby could see that his hands were shaking and his cheeks were growing red. She knew those signs. He was either about to cry or have an asthma attack. She shook off Dean's hand when he tried to grasp her arm, rushing towards her son, only to stop in her tracks when Evan looked up. He looked spitting mad. She didn't think she had ever seen him that angry before. His fists were clenched and she could practically hear his teeth grinding together. He strode towards Ben, paused in front of the other boy, then stalked right past him without touching him, and disappeared around the side of the house.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the remaining members of this failed intervention, and then Ruby clicked her tongue in disappointment and lifted a shoulder in a shrug. ''All right, so...that did not work.''

Dean shook his head, handed Annabelle to Ruby, and picked up the one water balloon that had sailed past Evan and landed on the grass without popping. He looked at the balloon, looked at Ben, cocked his head to the side, and then he hurled it at his son.

With a startled squeak, Ben threw himself to the ground to dodge it, letting out an indignant sounding, ''Hey! Dad!''

''You and me, kid,'' Dean warned lowly. ''We're gonna have a little chat later about the appropriateness of water balloons in situations like this.''

In return, he got an eye roll as Ben hauled himself to his feet, brushing off his jeans. ''The dude was askin' for it.''

''The dude was_ not _askin' for it,'' Dean spit out. ''Ruby said to use your words, Ben.''

''Ruby is not my mom!''

''No, but _I'm_ your dad! And when your dad tells you to listen to someone, your dad expects you to fu - freaking listen!''

''...I know you were going to say fucking.''

''Congratulations. You want a medal? And you watch your fucking mouth.''

Ruby ran a hand through her hair, settling Annabelle on her hip. Perhaps she should have been chasing after her son right now, but she knew from past experiences that he needed a few minutes to himself to cool down. Then she would go and attempt to get something out of him. It was looking like Ben and Evan were simply destined to be enemies. That certainly seemed to be the message the universe was trying to send.

''It's not like it hurt him, Dad!'' Ben was arguing, shriveling under his father's glare like a wilting flower. ''It was just a couple water balloons.''

''Just because something doesn't physically injure someone doesn't meant it doesn't hurt them.''

''But, Dad - ''

''Don't. Don't do the _but, Dad _thing. It's not going to work this time. When that boy comes back, I expect to hear an apology out of your mouth. You got me? I'm not kidding here, Ben. That was going way too - ''

And then there was Evan.

Ruby saw him first out of the corner of her eye, gasp slipping through her lips. She barely had time to reach out and grasp Dean's shirt, yanking him out of the line of fire seconds before Evan came hurtling back into the yard, brandishing his own weapon of mass destruction. With a wild screech of, ''who's the fork now, Benny?'' he turned the garden hose on Ben.

Annabelle, even though she had virtually no idea what was going on, burst into laughter.

Dean was next to crack, clearing his throat and ducking his head in an extremely unsuccessful attempt to cover up his laughter. Ruby did not find it so funny. When Ben shrieked and ducked away only to return with his arsenal of water balloons, her lips thinned in disapproval and she clenched her jaw. She took a step forwards, opening her mouth to yell, but Dean grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back to his side. ''Water balloons or fists, Ruby? Pick your battles,'' he advised gently.

''But what if they get hurt?'' She demanded, shielding her daughter from a spray splash of water.

Dean shrugged, keeping one watchful eye on the boys, the other on her. ''Then they get hurt. Kids need to get hurt, Ruby. They need to have water fights and make mistakes. They need to scrape their knees and get broken hearts, fail tests and sneak out of the house late at night. It's all just part of growing up. You can't shelter them forever.''

She frowned up at him, and then offered him a slow and small smile. ''Wise words. You're smarter than you look, aren't you?''

He gave her a blinding smile. ''Right on, starshine.'' He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. ''Just trust me on this one. They need to get all this frustration out of their system. It's what's best for them.''

She sighed and bit her lip, staring nervously at the boys while they shouted and pelted each other with water balloons, fighting for the garden hose. It took her a minute to realize that they weren't screaming at each other in rage anymore. They were laughing. They both looked a little hesitant and like they were still doing their best to scowl at each other, but they were_ laughing._

The mind of a six year old was an odd place, wasn't it?

* * *

><p><strong>Young Tod: <strong>_I bet you'd be good at playing Hide and Seek! Wanna try it, Copper?  
><em>**Young Copper: **_Can I use my nose?  
><em>**Young Tod: **_Sure. Okay, now go ahead and close your eyes and count.  
><em>**Young Copper: **_One, two, three... (looks over his shoulder)  
><em>**Young Tod: **_No, Copper! You can't peek!  
><em>**Young Copper: **_Oh.  
><em>**Young Tod:**_ Now, try again.  
><em>_**- Fox and the Hound (1981)**_

* * *

><p>Ruby stared in amazement at the sight before her. Evan and Ben had apologized to each other. They had actually apologized. After their epic water fight came to an end when they eventually tired themselves out, Evan had looked at Ben, sighed that little sigh of his, and he had quietly apologized for acting like he thought he was better than the other kids. In return, Ben had reluctantly apologized for acting like a bully. And now they were sitting on the bottom steps having what looked like a civil - and almost friendly - conversation while they shared some cookies and lemonade.<p>

It really felt like some enormous miracle had taken place.

''Incredible,'' Ruby murmured, taking a seat next to Dean and Annabelle on the top steps. ''Just...incredible. How did you know - ''

''That letting them run wild would help them sort out their issues?'' Dean finished for her. ''I didn't really. I just took a shot in the dark.'' He handed her a glass of lemonade and gave Annabelle a cookie from the plate beside him, lips quirking into a smile when the little girl beamed up at him like he was her own personal Prince Charming. ''But it wasn't just the throwdown, you know,'' he continued. ''You're the one who got Ben to admit why he thought Evan was a prick. I can never manage to get that boy to talk about anything. He says talking's for chumps. It drives Lisa up the wall.''

A laugh pushed through her lips and she leaned back, letting the warm sun beat down on her. ''He sounds like a real guy.''

''Yeah, he's a little emotionally stunted. Probably gets that from me.'' Dean chuckled lightly, looking down.

They lapsed into a silence that was more comfortable than it probably should have been, and Ruby kept her eyes firmly on the kids. Today really just proved how truly fickle six year old boys were. One minute they were fighting, the next they were sharing cookies. The only question was how long this truce would last.

She tore her eyes away from Ben and Evan and turned her gaze to Dean briefly, swallowing hard. She couldn't help but notice the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, or the way he laughed with his whole body. There was something about Dean Winchester that made her body tense and her heart flutter. She wasn't all around sure how she felt about that. She wasn't sure if she could allow that. Things like that were dangerous. She had kids. She didn't have time for...that.

Annabelle, sitting comfortably in between Dean and Ruby, swinging her legs in glee, thrust her half eaten cookie towards Dean with a big, innocent smile. ''Cookie?''

''Oh, that's all right, darlin'. You keep it.'' Seemingly unaware of the way she was gazing up at him dreamily (either that or he was very aware of just how she was looking at him), he leaned down to drop a kiss to the top of her head. ''But thank you. You're a sweetheart.'' Something about the way he was smiling at her made Annabelle dissolve into giggles, and blush like a school girl. Ruby shook her head. Even the toddler was enamored with the man. Although, it could've just been the way he called her _darlin'_. That was pretty...giggle inducing.

''I think...'' Ruby paused to put her hands over her daughter's ears. ''...She has a crush on you.''

''Gettin' started early, is she?''

''God I hope not.''

''Well, at least she has good taste.''

''And there's that arrogance.'' From somewhere deep inside the house, a clock chimed. Ruby absently looked over her shoulder towards the inside of the vast Winchester household. ''So...I still haven't gotten an answer to my question.''

''What question?''

''What do you do? Seems like you have a pretty lucrative job. Or a rich family. ...Or both. Care to set the record straight?''

''Well,'' he took a sip of his own lemonade and leaned back against the steps. ''If we're going to get into this, let's start with you. What do you do, Miss Connors?''

She laughed again, but this time it was fake and a little nervous sounding as she looked up at the blue sky. She probably should have been expecting that one. ''Currently, I'm not doing much. I was laid off a few weeks ago,'' she admitted softly. ''I was waitressing at this ritzy restaurant downtown, but then it was sold to a new owner and I was let go because of overcrowding.''

Because her eyes were focused elsewhere, she didn't notice the way Dean went rigid at her words, grip on his glass tightening. She did, however, notice the odd tightness of his voice when he said, ''That's too bad.'' She looked over at him, arching an eyebrow at his closed off body language. ''You don't happen to remember the name of the new owner, do you?''

''Campbell,'' she said. ''Mary Campbell. Hard to forget. She's a legend.''

And Dean promptly choked on his lemonade. ''Uh...'' He clambered to his feet, hastily wiping away the lemonade that had dripped down his chin. ''I'm good, I just have to...I'm going to...Excuse me for a minute.'' He let out a short bark of fake sounding laughter and then practically stumbled into the house, disappearing inside.

Ruby blinked after him for several seconds before looking down at Annabelle with a smirk. ''And that's the guy you have a crush on.''

* * *

><p><strong>Cinderella: <strong>_It's midnight.  
><em>**Prince Charming:**_ Yes, so it is. But, why...  
><em>**Cinderella: **_Goodbye.  
><em>**Prince Charming: **_No, no, wait. You can't go now. It's only...  
><em>**Cinderella: **_Oh, I must, please. Please, I must!  
><em>**Prince Charming: **_But, why?  
><em>**Cinderella: **_Well, I-I - oh, the Prince. I haven't met the Prince.  
><em>**Prince Charming: **_The Prince? But, didn't you know that...?  
><em>_**- Cinderella (1950)**_

* * *

><p>Okay, so she was not a patient person. Consider it a character flaw. When Dean didn't come back and didn't come back, her curiosity finally got the better of her and she gave into those snooping genes that had always managed to get her and her sisters into massive amounts of trouble growing up. She sent a firm warning to the boys, telling them that if they messed up and started acting like brats while she was gone, she was going to throw them both in the pool. Then she lifted Annabelle onto her hip and disappeared into the house. She could just barely make out the sound of Dean's voice coming from the direction of what she suspected was the kitchen. Because she was at least half a good girl, she hesitated before she went further into the house. This wasn't her house and Dean was having a private conversation that was none of her business. But then she remembered she was only half a good girl, and she let the curiosity get to her.<p>

She worked her way deeper into the house, following the murmured sounds of Dean's voice. She stepped into the kitchen silently, pressing her finger to her lips to make sure Annabelle understood that they were being sneaky. She had no idea if the girl really did understand, of course, but Annabelle pressed her finger to her lips and nodded seriously, so that was a good sign. It wasn't like getting Annabelle to be quiet was a hard thing. Annabelle wasn't exactly a talker. It wasn't that she couldn't talk; it was more that she apparently never felt like she had anything important to say. She could convey more in a look anyway. It was freaky. Her eyes just looked right through you.

Dean, back to them as he leaned against the sink, rubbing his forehead, didn't notice them. She was about to say something when he spoke up again and as soon as he did, she froze. ''Mom, I swear to God, you're like the sweetest woman in the world but when it comes to business, you are one cold and ruthless tiger, you know that? ...No, I don't think I'm being dramatic. You fired a young single mother down on her luck because she was _expendable._ I think I'm being perfectly reasonable. ...All I'm saying is...I don't know, can you maybe possibly relate? I seem to remember a time when we were down on our luck.''

Well. The surprises just kept on punching her in the face, didn't they?

''...Business is always personal, mother,'' Dean all but growled into the phone. ''...Look, let me put it this way: You fired a hot, probably excellent waitress. Think of the lost revenue. ...Then fire someone else. What about Duncan? I hate Duncan. Lose him. He's always flirting with anything with boobs. It's very unprofessional. ...What is that supposed to mean? ...How is that your business? ...Fine, if you must know: no. I am not sleeping with her. She's a friend. And she needs this job. She's got mouths to feed, she doesn't need to be worrying about job searches right now.'' He groaned, running a hand over his face. ''Mom, please. I'm begging you.'' When he didn't get the answer he was hoping for, his shoulders slumped visibly.

Ruby was still standing frozen in place trying to let all this soak in. Dean was Mary Campbell's son. _Mary Campbell._ Ruby wanted to _be_ Mary Campbell.

Dean straightened, squaring his shoulders in what looks like fierce determination. ''Then let me buy you out. ...You heard me. I may only own a quarter of the restaurant now, but I'll buy the rest from you right now. I'll call my banker. ...Oh, I'm dead serious, Ma. It'll be easier than saving up for my own restaurant anyway. ...Yes, that's exactly how far I'm willing to go on this.'' He turned around to reveal a triumphant looking smirk and an incredibly decisive look in his eyes. All of which disappeared when he caught sight of her, replaced by shock as he let out a very unmanly sounding shriek. ''Oh!'' He winced. ''...Busted. Mom, I gotta - what?'' His eyes lit up like a little boy's on Christmas morning and relief flickered over his features. ''Thank you, you won't - Yeah. Yeah, this one's all me. Got it. She screws up you can throw me out on my ass. Bye. ...What? Oh, uh...'' He let out a huff and rolled his eyes, twinge of red creeping up his neck as he turned away from her. ''Yeah, Mom,'' he muttered under his breath. ''Love you too.'' He flipped the phone shut and sheepishly met her eyes. ''...Hi.''

Ruby still didn't know what to say to all of this. What was her expected reaction here?

''So,'' he rubbed the back of his neck, dropping the phone onto the counter. ''Let's push past this awkwardness here, okay? Because I have news for you. Unfortunately, we already have too many people on the wait staff so I couldn't get you your waitressing job back. Fortunately, we just had to let go of our bartender. Ironically, he's an alcoholic. Bad news for him, but great news for you! Congratulations! Flexible hours, good pay, you get to spend every day with me. It's gravy.''

When she didn't respond to him, the smile slipped off his lips and he reached out to place his hand on her arm. ''I'm truly sorry you were laid off before,'' he told her softly. ''If I had known you worked there. ...I suppose I haven't been as involved in this new place as I probably should have been. Kinda let a few things slip through the cracks, huh? But it's all good now.'' He laughed that eye crinkling laugh of his, waving a hand dismissively. ''Because you've got a job so...excitement time. ...Right? ...No? Okay,'' he sighed and put his hands on her shoulders, plastering a serious look on his face. He met her eyes. ''Campbell is my mother's maiden name. She uses it for business. She owns - ''

''Fine dining restaurants in Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, South Dakota, North Carolina, and Texas. I know. I've wanted to work in one of her kitchens since I was fourteen.''

''Oh, well, I'm sure she'll be really happy to hear that. She's not really the female Gordon Ramsey, you know. She's actually quite sweet. And she doesn't own anything in Missouri anymore. That place kind of burned down.''

''Dean,'' she deadpanned. ''I'm a freakin' pastry chef, all right? How has the fact that your mother is Mary Campbell not come up before?''

''You're a pastry chef?'' His eyes got wide and he stared at her in adoration. ''Holy crap, I think I wanna marry you. We'll be the chef and the pastry chef. We can get each other fat and work it off by...'' He trailed off, smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. ''Nah, I'll save the vulgarity for later. ...Guess I should've listened to Lisa when she told me those cookies you made her a few weeks ago nearly made her climax.''

''Dean, this isn't a - wait, she said that?''

''Yeah. I remember because I was disturbed.''

''You'll have to remember to thank her for me.''

''Ruby,'' Dean licked his lips - which he really shouldn't do because it was so distracting - and drew in a breath. ''My mother built an empire because she was a really bored housewife and my father owns DSV Construction. My parents love money because they never had it...which I realize makes them sound extremely shallow. They're not, just for the record. Look, maybe I should have told you before but from past experiences, people seem to look at me differently when they find out I'm doing okay financially and I...'' He cleared his throat, lowering his voice. ''I like the way you look at me now.''

She smiled. She couldn't help it. He had a tendency to make her smile when she was trying to do anything but. ''How do I look at you now?'' She couldn't help but ask.

He opened his mouth to respond only to immediately snap it shut again, lips twitching as he avoided her gaze. Wow. Had she really managed to fluster the normally unflappable Dean Winchester? She had to say, she was quite proud of herself. ''I-I don't know,'' he stuttered. ''You're just - It's not important. What's important is I'm sorry and I got you a job. If you want it.'' He raised his eyebrows expectantly. ''...You want it?''

She pressed her lips together, studied him for a moment, and then carefully placed Annabelle down on the ground, bending down to her level. ''Don't lick anything,'' she warned. ''Just don't put any strange objects in your mouth.'' She stood straight, drew in a breath, looked at Dean, and then she catapulted herself into Dean's arms. It startled him enough to send him stumbling backwards, but his arms wound around her and he managed to keep them both upright, even when she was practically hanging off of him and her legs were quickly growing tangled with his. She could feel him laughing and when he tangled a hand in her hair, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

''I'll take that as a yes,'' he said through his laughter.

''Thank you, Dean,'' she breathed out, pulling away from him, arms still wound around his neck. ''You have no idea what this means! I could kiss you!''

He whistled lowly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. ''Really?''

''I'm not gonna.''

''Aww. Way to kill a man's dreams,'' he quipped, arms still around her waist.

''But thank you,'' she went on, unwinding her arms from around his neck and taking a step back. ''This really takes some of the weight off. You totally saved me here.'' She smiled gently and placed a hand on his cheek. Slowly, she leaned in to press a quick and simple kiss to his cheek. Or at least it was _meant_ to be a simple peck on the cheek. It wound up being a little less simple that it should have been. Maybe her lips lingered on his cheek for a second too long, or maybe when she wiped away the faint traces of lipstick on his face, she left her hand for too long. Maybe their eye contact lasted longer than it should have, or maybe it was the fact that his hand was still resting on the small of her back. Whatever it was, it brought out a whole new level of complication. The next thing she knew, he was tugging her closer to him and she was letting him because...just _because._

Her hands came up to rest on his shoulders and his eyes clouded over with something deep and dark. It was a moment of weakness. That was all. Nothing more. She couldn't do this, she knew she couldn't. It was just a moment of weakness. Before they could do any real damage, the sound of fast footfalls sounded and Ben and Evan appeared, skidding to a halt in the doorway. ''Mom,'' Evan said breathlessly. ''Ben and I want to go in the pool. Can we?''

Dean and Ruby bolted away from each other and Ruby whirled around to look at her son. The boys looked like happy little boys flushed with excitement rather than the two brooding and feuding brats they had been earlier. That was a nice change of pace. Ruby nodded dazedly, head still a little fogged up. ''I...um...I guess so, buddy. Hey, why don't you boys go wait outside for me, okay?'' She remained turned away from Dean for a moment after the boys had run off, two fingers pressed to her lips as she tried to shake the fog from her brain. She turned to face Dean with a half hearted smile, leaning down to pick up Annabelle. ''That was probably not a good idea,'' she said quietly. ''I have...I can't...do that.''

''S'okay, I get it,'' he shrugged. ''I'm still gonna make lewd comments, I hope you know that.''

''I wouldn't expect anything less,'' she smirked. ''You still wanna work with me?''

He grinned slyly. ''Oh yeah.'' When she turned to walk away, she could've sworn she heard him mutter under his breath, more to himself than to her, ''abso-fucking-lutely.'' A wide smile curved over her lips and suddenly the April heat wasn't the only reason she was feeling warm.

Oh, she really had no idea what she was getting herself into, did she?

* * *

><p><strong>Ellie Andrews:<strong>_ Have you ever been in love, Peter?  
><em>**Peter Warne: **_Me?  
><em>**Ellie Andrews: **_Yes. Haven't you ever thought about it at all? It seems to me, you-you could make some girl wonderfully happy.  
><em>**Peter Warne:**_ Sure I've thought about it. Who hasn't? If I could ever meet the right sort of girl. Aw, where you gonna find her? Somebody that's real. Somebody that's alive. They don't come that way anymore. Have I ever thought about it? I've even been sucker enough to make plans. You know, I saw an island in the Pacific once. I've never been able to forget it. That's where I'd like to take her. She'd have to be the sort of girl who'd...well, who'd jump in the surf with me and love it as much as I did. You know, nights when you and the moon and the water all become one. You feel you're part of something big and marvelous. That's the only place to live...where the stars are so close over your head you feel you could reach up and stir them around. Certainly, I've been thinking about it. Boy, if I could ever find a girl who was hungry for those things...  
><em>_**- It Happened One Night (1934)**_

**end part two**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ...Yeah, there's rich!Dean. Actually, to be fair, he's not rich. He just seems rich to Ruby because she's really, really not rich. Oh, and Dean's house? I actually went to this website and checked out real estate in Lawrence, and I found what is possibly the most beautiful house I have ever seen. It has an in ground pool, a white picket fence, it's on a nice street, and oh my god, on the inside it is gorgeous. And despite the talk of rich!Dean, it's actually pretty affordable. So that's Dean's house. I'd post a link in my profile but I'm not really sure I feel comfortable posting pictures of someone else's house without their permission. It is still someone's house. So just...imagine it.<strong>

**I also feel like I should explain a little more about what Dean does. As of right now, he's mostly working in the front of house as a manager at a few of his mom's upscale restaurants (hence the suit in the beginning of the chapter) but his real talent and passion lies in cooking. I just figured - well, what are the things Dean loves in canon? Food, women, and Sammy. Not necessarily in that order. I feel like in a completely normal world...he'd be a pretty good cook. And as for Ruby as a pastry chef? I really wanted them to be a foodie couple. The chef and the pastry chef. It's like love in a pie.**

**Oh, and last but not least: John's construction business? DSV? It stands for Dean, Sam, Veronica. I realize that in canon, John was a mechanic but for some reason I really wanted him to be in construction. Don't even know why.**


	3. Part Three: Second Grade

_AN: Hey, guys! Sorry about the wait for this chapter. Hope you like it!_

_Chapter title from the song ''Arms'' by Christina Perri._

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>you're my playground love<strong>

_Written by Becks Rylynn_

* * *

><p><strong>Part Three: Second Grade<strong>

_you put your arms around me and i'm home_

* * *

><p><strong>Mortimer Brewster: <strong>_Hello? Operator? Can you hear my voice? You can? Are you sure? ...Well, then I must be here.  
><em>_**- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)**_

* * *

><p><em>February, 2007:<em>

For Ben Winchester, second grade was a lot like first grade. And kindergarten. And preschool. He had friends all over the place and he was thriving as a social butterfly. But he wasn't at the intellectual level of his peers and his grades were in a rapid, and seemingly permanent, decrease. Everyone - teachers, his parents, his grandparents, Ruby - was convinced that all he needed was a little more discipline. He needed to pay attention to what was going on inside the classroom, not what was happening outside the classroom window. He needed to concentrate. He didn't need to daydream. That was all. He simply lacked focus. Things would get better once he had _focus._

But that was easier said than done, and Dean was quickly approaching the end of his rope. Ever since the new year, Dean and Lisa had been cracking down on the homework issue but nothing ever seemed to get through to the boy. Whenever he'd try, he'd fail, and then he'd shrug, smile sheepishly and say, ''Sorry. I forgot.''

It was a terrible thing to think. It was awful. It made Dean feel guilty as hell and like a terrible father, but when he looked at Ben's bestest buddy...

Evan was just so smart. He was like a tiny little superhero of knowledge and sometimes Dean thought things would be easier if Ben were more like Evan. He just wanted Ben to try a little more. He had thought with the amount of time they spent together, some of Evan's smarts and dedication to school would be bound to rub off on Ben, but that didn't appear to be happening.

The fact of the matter was that Ben was turning into a mini-Dean. He always had better places to be, better things to be doing, he hated schoolwork, and he lacked the concentration he needed. All that didn't sit well with Dean. In fact, it terrified him. During his high school years, he had been one of those _don't know much about history, don't know much about biology _types. He had barely scraped by in school because he just didn't care. He was always cutting class to smoke a joint under the bleachers or for quickies in the janitor's closet. The only reason he had even bothered to attempt to graduate (which he did, but barely) was because he knew how much it meant to his mother and father to see him walk across that stage.

He didn't want Ben to be like that. Ben was supposed to be better. Not Dean Winchester 2.0. And maybe it was early to be thinking about high school and graduation and all of that, but Dean honestly couldn't help but wonder if history was doomed to repeat itself with Ben. He didn't want to be as terrified about his son's future as his father had been about his.

Which was precisely why Dean was dreading tomorrow night's parent/teacher conference at the school. He had a pretty good idea of what was going to be said, and he had a pretty good idea that he wasn't going to like it.

And it _really_ didn't help that Ben's second grade teacher, Mrs. Laurel, had once taught all three of the Winchester children and probably didn't have fond memories of troublemaker Dean, know-it-all Sam and capricious little Veronica.

* * *

><p><strong>Susan Vance: <strong>_You've just had a bad day, that's all.  
><em>**David Huxley: **_That's a masterpiece of an understatement.  
><em>_**- Bringing Up Baby (1938)**_

* * *

><p>Tucked away in a corner booth of the dimly lit restaurant, Dean tried to block out the sound of the few remaining late night customers, focusing on the papers in his hands. Eyes still on the photos of vacant commercial properties, he grumbled under his breath and loosened his tie, eventually pulling it off and tossing it onto the table. He loathed ties. He really did. He hated that his mother made him wear one at work. It was torture.<p>

Someone slid into the seat across from him and the candle on the table flickered briefly. He looked up, eyeing Ruby closely as she pulled her hair free of the ponytail it had been in for work, shaking her blond hair out. He swallowed hard and looked back down. ''Long day?''

''I don't like drunk people,'' she declared, reaching forwards to pull his plate of half eaten apple pie towards her. ''Actually, scratch that. I just don't like people.'' She dipped her finger in the filling, licked it off (_hot_) and frowned. Almost reluctantly, she took a bite of the pie, instantly grimacing and pushing it away from her. ''This pie is shit.''

''Yeah, it's kind of boring,'' he agreed. ''Barely above average.''

''There's way too much cinnamon. And the apples are limp. They're like a deflated and sad little - ''

''Something dirty?''

She sighed. ''No.''

He put down the papers and grinned at her like a Cheshire cat. ''I love it when you talk about baked goods. You make pie sound like sex. That's the dream.''

She snorted, stealing his beer and slumping down into the booth.

''Allison,'' Dean caught the arm of a passing waitress, handing her the plate of pie. ''Take this to Riley. Tell him the pie is embarrassing. No. Wait. Tell him _Mom_ said the pie is embarrassing. See if he wets his pants.''

Ruby snickered, lowering her head. Dean loved the way she looked when she was trying not to laugh. The way she'd look down at her hands with her tongue between her teeth and her hair falling in her face. It almost made her glow. Or maybe that was the candlelight bouncing off her face. Either way, he had thought about it way too much. ''And therein lies your problem,'' Ruby said once Allison had sauntered away, looking endlessly confused. ''Your pastry chef is afraid of your mother.''

''Everyone is afraid of my mother, Ruby.''

''I'm not. I love your mother.''

''One of these days,'' he promised, pointing at her. ''I'm going to wear Mom down.''

''Eh,'' she shrugged. ''If I were her, I wouldn't hire me either. I don't have any qualifications and I haven't had any training. Even Riley studied at the CIA.''

''What? Riley's a spy? A spy with pie?''

''Culinary Institute of America.''

''Oh, right. I knew that.''

''I mean, the only jobs I've ever held are bartender, waitress, cashier and briefly, librarian.''

''That's kind of hot.''

''I'm hardly qualified to be the pastry chef at a ridiculously overpriced third date restaurant.''

''Yeah, but your pies can make miracles happen.'' He nodded seriously. ''It's true. I've seen it. Ben ate a slice of your pumpkin pie and then when I told him to clean his room, he _did._''

''And I want to swim in your duck sauce,'' she countered. ''But you seem to spend more time in the front of house rather than in the kitchen where you belong. Face it, Dean,'' she took a swig of his beer. ''Sometimes dreams fall by the wayside. It's life.''

He frowned at her, arching an eyebrow. It was times like these when he saw that real and true brokenness she had in her. Ruby never talked much about her life in Wilmington. All he knew were bits and pieces. The basics, some of which he had gotten from her and some he had gotten from Evan. She had Evan when she was eighteen, her ex-husband was a now-you-see-him-now-you-don't kind of deadbeat, her parents were not very nice people, and she had two sisters. One of them, Sadie, was quite a bit older than her and not particularly close to her family, the other, Kristy, was Sammy's age and currently living the artist's dream somewhere in Italy. One time, when Dean had graciously offered to babysit Evan and Annabelle, he answered the phone and it had been Kristy. The girl, undeterred by the fact that she was conversing with a total stranger, had rambled on for goddamned half an hour without letting him get a word in edgewise and then had ended her ramble by outright asking, ''so, dude, are you fucking my sister?''

Ruby had never really gone into detail about why her parents weren't very nice people, or why her ex was such a douchebag, and she had never talked about her life before becoming a mom except to say she was a ''reformed wild child'' but there was an undeniable sadness to her. An abundantly clear loneliness. Dean would never admit this out loud - and certainly not to her because she had been very clear that they couldn't go down that particular road - but at this point in their friendship, he would've done anything to carry that weight on her shoulders for her.

_That,_ he was well aware, was a clear sign that he was in way too deep with this woman.

''Sometimes you're depressing,'' he said at last.

''Sometimes you're nutty,'' she fired back. ''I've learned to accept it.'' Her hand shot out to snatch up one of his discarded papers, eyes scanning the page quickly. ''Looking for a place to dump bodies?'' She asked casually, plucking another paper from the pile. '' 'Cause I'm still not convinced this whole restaurant thing isn't a front for mob related activities. Have you met your mother? She may not scare me, but I'm quite certain she could make Sonny Corinthos shit his pants.''

''It's really sad that the only mobster you could come up with was the weasely guy from General Hospital.''

''Seriously,'' she put the papers down, looking up at him. ''What's with the research?''

''I was just...'' He cleared his throat, snatching the papers back and gathering them into a neat pile. ''...Looking at possible locations for a new restaurant.''

''Your mom's - ''

''No, not my mom's. Mine.''

She tilted her head to the side. ''You're opening your own place?''

He shrugged. ''I don't know. Maybe. Someday.'' He smiled slowly and leaned across the table to steal his beer back from her. ''See, sweetheart. Not all dreams have to fall by the wayside.''

When her lips parted in a quiet laugh and her eyes crinkled, his smile widened. ''Don't call me sweetheart,'' she deadpanned.

''So, parent/teacher conference tomorrow,'' he piped up, swiftly changing the subject and leaning back in his seat. ''You goin'?''

She laughed. ''Definitely. Evan's been switching back and forth between excited and nervous for the past two weeks.'' She stifled a yawn and turned to dig through her purse, pulling out her cell phone. ''What about you?''

''I'll be there,'' he nodded. ''I'm not looking forward to it, but I'll be there.''

''Not a fan of the parent/teacher conference?'' She asked, lifting her eyes from her cell phone.

''Not usually,'' he admitted. ''Even less this year. I don't know if you've noticed this, but their teacher is a - ''

''Not a very nice person?'' She cut in, eyeing him closely.

''Sure, we'll go with that.''

''Well, Evan loves these things. He's not good at sports or anything but he's good at academia. Parent/teacher conferences are his playoffs. I swear to God,'' she murmured from behind her wild hair, staring down at her cell phone. ''He's as excited for this thing as I was when I went to my first Backstreet Boys concert in '98.'' As soon as she said it, she froze and then slowly looked up, eyes widening in horror as she realized what she had just let slip out.

Dean dropped his head to hide the smirk growing on his lips. He tried to pretend he hadn't heard what she said, clearing his throat and absentmindedly sifting through the papers. But the need to mock her for that one was just too strong, and as it turned out his self control wasn't all that impeccable. When he started humming under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear, she groaned and covered her face with her hands. ''Note to self,'' she muttered. ''No matter how tired you are, never air your dirty little secrets to a Winchester.''

''No, no,'' he protested. ''I think it's cute.''

''Sure you do.''

''Hey, how did that one song go?'' He frowned and tried to flash back to when tiny little Veronica had gone through her boy band stage, annoying everyone in the house with sugary pop music being played at an obnoxious volume day and night. ''Oh! I remember now.'' He cleared his throat pointedly. ''_I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you love me._''

She rolled her eyes. ''Okay, I get it. I should be embarrassed.''

That did not deter Dean. ''This should be our song,'' he told her. The one downside to this was that he was going to have this stupid song stuck in his head all night. He thought it was totally worth it. ''_Who you are, where you're from, don't care what you did, as long as you love me_. Come on, Ruby, sing it with me. _Every little thing that you have said and done feels like it's deep within me _- ''

''You are aware that all you're doing right now is displaying your startling knowledge of Backstreet Boys lyrics, right?''

''Hey,'' he pointed a finger at her. ''I have a little sister. What's your excuse?''

''I was a teenage girl in the nineties.''

''Mmmhmm. So, uh...'' Dean rested his elbow on the table and dropped his chin into the palm of his hand. ''Which one did you think was dreamy?''

''Don't be ridiculous,'' she huffed, avoiding his eyes.

''Which one did you want to marry?''

''Dean - ''

''Which one?''

''Brian.''

''Well, thank God it wasn't the one with the hair.''

''...I'm pretty sure they all had hair. Actually, I'm pretty sure they all still have hair. Do you mean Nick?''

''I don't know, Ruby. I don't know their names.''

''Oh, well. I'm sorry, I thought because you know all the words to their songs you might know their names.''

''I don't know all the...'' He broke off in a sigh, leaning back in his seat and looking around for prying eyes or ears. ''Okay, listen. I will never admit to knowing all of the lyrics to the Backstreet Boys songs. But I will admit that at one point in my life, I had a thing for Christina Aguilera.''

Her eyes lit up and her lips curled back in a bright smile. ''You mean you sang along to - ''

''I didn't sing along to anything,'' he argued. ''I just...you know...wanted to be on her.''

''Ah,'' she nodded sagely. ''You wanted to be the genie in her bottle.''

''Nice.''

''Thanks.''

''And yes. Serious question time.'' He swirled the remaining contents of his beer bottle and leaned his elbows on the table. He met her eyes and set his lips into a grim, straight line, reaching across the table to put his hand over hers. ''Was it just the BSB or was it all boy bands in general?''

Despite the smile curving over her lips, she sighed loudly like he was the biggest dumbass on the face of the earth and rolled her eyes again, sliding out of the booth. ''Okay, I'm leaving now.'' She slung her bag over her shoulder and patted him on the cheek. ''As much as I'd like to stay and learn just how much you know about boy bands, it's getting late and it's a big day tomorrow. These conferences are like Evan's Academy Awards. And I have to walk home.''

''Oh, come on,'' he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him one last time. ''Am I your fire? Your one desire?''

''Bye, Crazy.''

He laughed, low in his throat and shook his head, turning his attention back to his beer. She was almost halfway to the door, tugging on her jacket when something she said finally registered. ''Wait, Ruby. Ruby!'' He shot out of his seat, bumped into a table, and then raced across the restaurant, weaving in between tables like it was some sort of twisted obstacle course in order to cut her off at the door.

Startled, she took a step back. ''Wow, and you stuck to the landing too.''

''You're _walking_ home?'' He echoed her earlier statement in disbelief. ''As in...walking?''

''That is what I said, yes. Problem?''

''Ruby, it's almost eleven o'clock, you live twenty minutes away by car, and it's February. It's freezing. I got my tongue stuck to a pole just the other day. That's how cold it is.''

She wrinkled her nose in confusion. ''Why did you - ''

''Ben bet me his allowance that I wouldn't do it.''

''...Naturally.''

''Let me drive you home.''

She hesitated, biting down on her lip and looking over her shoulder worriedly. ''I don't know. Don't they need you here?''

''Nah, it's my mom's day to close up anyway.''

''Well, what about - ''

''Sweetheart,'' he put his hands on her shoulders. ''It _is_ okay for you to accept some help every once and awhile. I promise.''

Her lips twitched and she tore her eyes away from his. Her fingers momentarily fiddled with her purse straps and her eyes looked out into the dark winter night. Then she caved. ''Okay. Drive me home. And don't call me sweetheart.''

He grinned. (In way. Too. Deep.) ''Great. Let me just tell my parents.'' He started to step around her only to stop and backtrack, letting out a nervous sounding laugh. ''Not that I have to. I'm not a child.''

She lifted her eyes briefly, long enough to send him a distracted look. ''Uh-huh.''

''Really.''

''No, I get it,'' she said, holding the cell phone to her ear. ''You're a big boy now.''

He opened his mouth to say something in response, came up empty, and then gave up, shaking his head as he stepped around her and started the trek towards the kitchen. He was about halfway there when the definite sound of a crash echoed through the air, followed by the muffled sounds of laughter. And then his mother came running out of the kitchen like a bat out of hell, flushed and smiling, with his father following close behind, chasing after her with a piping bag full of icing in his hand. Dean stopped in his tracks, horrified, and turned around briefly to look at Ruby.

And people thought he acted immature sometimes.

He anxiously looked over his shoulder once more to check on the remaining customers, none of whom appeared to be bothered by John and Mary Winchester's PDA. ''Whoa, guys,'' he jumped into the fray seconds before his parents started necking like teenagers, plastering a stern glare on his face. ''Cool it. This is a family show.''

''Oh, baby,'' Mary laughed from her spot in her husband's arms, reaching out to pat Dean on the cheek. ''Lighten up.''

''There are customers.''

''Who? Frances and Alyssa Applebom? They know us,'' John countered. ''Hey, Frances!'' He raised a hand in a friendly wave, smiling jovially at the middle aged man and his very young wife who were sharing a peach torte. ''How's the insurance business.''

''People die. We do our best not to pay.''

''Super!''

''That is not the point,'' Dean cut in. ''The point is that this is unprofessional work attitude.''

Mary drew away from John and perched herself on the bar, daintily crossing one leg over the other. ''And?''

''And it's freaking me out.''

''Well then you'd better leave now, son,'' John advised. ''Because it's about to get all freaky up in here.'' With a grin, he licked some icing off his finger.

Mary threw her head back and laughed.

Dean blinked at his father, and then decided not to let that one go. ''I'm going to take Ruby home now.''

''Okay!'' Mary, the number one supporter of the Dean/Ruby courtship, nodded enthusiastically. ''But always remember to practice safe sex. You already have three kids between the two of you.''

''...What exactly do you think I said there? I said I'm going to _drive_ her home. Not_ ride _her home.''

''Oh, I know what you said. I'm just saying. You aren't subtle.''

''Kiss her on the mouth like you mean it,'' John encouraged cheerfully.

''As opposed to kissing her on the mouth like I don't mean it?'' Dean asked in a deadpan.

''That would be the general idea, yes.''

''How do you kiss someone on the mouth and not mean it?''

John shrugged. ''You could trip,'' he explained matter-of-factly.

''It happens,'' Mary agreed seriously.

John nodded. ''It does.''

''Well,'' Dean shook his head, swallowing down the urge to ask if they had been drinking. ''It doesn't matter because there's not going to be any kissing,'' he said vehemently. ''I'm driving her home because it's late and it's cold. We're not going on a magic carpet ride. I'm going to leave now. Feel free to neck as soon as I'm gone.'' He paused, stared at the piping bag in his father's hands, and then snatched it up with a small scowl. ''And these are not toys. Shame on you.''

* * *

><p><strong>Lady:<strong> _But we shouldn't.  
><em>**Tramp:** _I know. That's what makes it fun. Aw, come on, kid. Start building some memories.  
><em>_**- Lady and the Tramp (1955)**_

* * *

><p>Parentteacher conferences had always been a big thing in the Connors family. Not just Evan, but with Ruby and her sisters too. Sadie had been the model student her entire life and she had always loved praise so when she got to drag their parents to her school, she made sure the night was filled with praise. Sadie had always been very egotistical. Even as a child. She got that from their father. Hell, even Kristy made a big deal out of those conferences. Even if it was only because Kristy, the resident slacker, never wanted to go and a fight always occurred no matter what.

Those conferences had been a big deal for Ruby too. School was hard for her. Beyond hard actually. Sometimes the simplest things seemed impossible and out of her reach. Eventually, after being diagnosed with a learning disorder, she found out why. When she was a kid, all she wanted to do was please her mom and dad. She wanted to be smart like Sadie and brave like Kristy. She wanted them to praise her like they praised Sadie; she wanted their attention on her like it was on Kristy. So she did all she could to make sure her grades were as close to perfect as she could get them, and she waited for praise that never came.

Evan had somehow inherited all of that. He seemed to have the same compulsive need to please people like his mother, he loved praise like Sadie, and sometimes, because of his nerves, he hid under the bed to avoid going like Kristy used to do.

Evan was a basketcase, but he was her little basketcase.

Tonight was no different. Jittery, nervous, excited, and on the verge of an asthma attack, Evan finally got in the car after three failed attempts and then they were on the way. Annabelle, whose babysitter had cancelled at the last minute, was happily along for the ride, singing at the top of her lungs in the backseat about how amazing her boyfriend Dean was. All in all, this had the makings of a very memorable night.

It wasn't just jitters and toddlers with crushes either. Ruby couldn't explain it - she usually didn't mind these conferences - but tonight she was dreading it. She had no idea what was going to happen tonight, but something was going to go down. She could feel it in her bones. She had always had some kind of weird sixth sense when it came to these sorts of situations.

* * *

><p><strong>Winnie the Pooh: <strong>_Hello, out there! Oh, I hope nobody answers.  
><em>_**- Winne the Pooh and the Very Blustery Day (1968)**_

* * *

><p>Annnd she was right.<p>

The night started off pretty good. The Winchester clan were all huddled in the hallway when they got there, admiring the second grade artwork on the bulletin board. Ben was bouncing up and down excitedly, tugging at his mother's arm as he carefully and lovingly pointed out his own picture. Dean and Keith, Lisa's much older hulk of a live-in boyfriend, were standing back chatting amicably. The first thing Ruby noticed was the way Dean's hand was in his pocket, mostly likely jingling his car keys which was something he did when he was in uncomfortable small talk mode. (Oh, god. What did it mean that she knew that?)

Annabelle's first reaction to being inside her brother's school was to - before she spotted Dean - look up at her mom with hopeful eyes and ask, ''Is my Dean here?''

This was not unusual behavior.

Annabelle had something very special going on with Dean.

When Evan was Annabelle's age, his favourite person, his best friend, his number one crush, was his mommy. ('Cause, you know, when you're a tiny little tyke, you find nothing wrong with the idea of marrying your daddy 'cause he's the handsomest man you know, or your mommy, who is the prettiest princess in the world.) Annabelle's favourite person, however, - her bestie for life, her eternal dance partner, the person she was bound and determined to marry someday - was her Dean. Ruby couldn't blame the girl. Dean did have a tendency to treat Annabelle like she could walk on water. (Ruby had been told he had treated his sister the same way when she was born.) To Dean, Annabelle was something extraordinarily precious that was spun out of pure gold. To Annabelle, Dean was the one who put the stars in the sky and made the sun come out. It was the type of relationship Ruby used to_ wish _Travis could drum up the energy for. If Annabelle one day started calling Dean_ Daddy_, it would not be surprising. It would open up a giant can of worms, yes. But it would not be altogether surprising.

Dean and Annabelle...

...Well, for God's sake, that man watched The Wiggles for that little girl. It was, without a doubt, something special and something that needed to be documented in roughly five million and three pictures because that was how adorable it was. Looking back, it had definitely started after Ben and Evan had become friends, but Annabelle's infatuation had really taken off when Ruby's appendix had burst in late August and Dean (and to a slightly lesser extent, Lisa) had spent practically a week living at Ruby's, taking care of the kids while she recuperated. By now, there was no doubt that if Annabelle had to choose between her mommy and Dean Winchester, she'd choose Dean. Ruby might be able to get the boys on her side because - hey, she was a pastry chef and those two boys loved sugar, but Annabelle was all Dean's. Ruby would be somewhat offended if it wasn't so darned cute.

This was why, as soon as Ruby pointed Dean out to Annabelle, the little girl let out a very loud screech of pure joy and went rocketing towards him as fast as her little legs would carry her. When Dean caught her easily, lifting her up into his arms with an exuberant sounding, ''Princess!'' and the sound of Annabelle laughing in delight carried over the sound of other children and parents talking, Ruby couldn't help but smile. Dean looked up and caught her eye, lips quirking into a smile as Annabelle wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly.

But that was where the goodness of the evening kind of ended.

Dean and Lisa were the first called into talk to Mrs. Laurel so, after Annabelle had been literally pried from Dean's arms, Evan took the time to show Ruby around the entire school, proudly sprouting off everything he had learned about his elementary school and its history. Just when Annabelle was getting antsy, wanting to know where Dean was and when he would be coming back, Evan decided to quiz her on everything that was about to happen, making sure that she knew the appropriate parent/teacher conversation topics and the ones that were simply unacceptable.

Ben and Keith came out of the classroom about halfway through, and while Keith immediately began grumbling about Mrs. Laurel's attitude to Ruby, Ben and Evan went skipping off to the side to trade secret whispers. Ruby was acutely aware of a few whispers about their multiple theories that Mrs. Laurel must be some kind of witch. That could not be a good sign. The waiting only succeeded in making her even more anxious than she already was. She knew Laurel was a hardass. That had been violently drilled into her head over the past five and a half months that the boys had spent in her classroom.

The woman had two big problems. One: She had ancient viewpoints on life and wasn't afraid to vocalize her views. Two: She had one hell of a stick up her ass. Lisa called her a judgmental woman stuck in the past. Dean went for the more direct approach and called her a bitter old bitchy bag of bones. The thing about Mrs. Laurel was that she was really only terrifying to the parents. The kids didn't like her because she was too strict and she gave out too much homework (admittedly, Evan had really no problem with the homework thing) and maybe she could have used a tad more patience with them. But she actually did a pretty respectable job of not judging the kids. Or at least not judging them _vocally._

But the parents? The parents were a different story. She judged the hell out of the parents. She judged Dean and Lisa because they had a child when they were young and unmarried. She judged Lisa because she was living in sin with a man who was eighteen years older than her. She judged Lucy Carl's two dads, she judged Katie's parents because they were divorced, and you better believe she judged Ruby for being a young unmarried single mother. That was why Ruby was dreading this so much. Every look Laurel gave her was just pure _I'm judging you so hard, you stupid slut._

Now, Ruby knew she shouldn't let these things get to her. People judged. It was human nature. But she couldn't help it. She was far more vulnerable than she let on. She hated that she had become so easily hurt (before she was a mother, she was a badass who didn't give a flying rat's ass about what anyone thought about her), but when people judged her parenting skills just because she was younger than some other parents, it hurt.

When Dean and Lisa finally emerged from the classroom, Ruby's anxiety only soared. Lisa looked frustrated, lips pinched, cheeks flushed in anger. Dean looked like someone had kicked his puppy. Despite the look on his face and the way he kept loosening his collar like he thought it was going to choke him at any given moment, he somehow still managed to hold his arms out for Annabelle with a smile.

''I'm guessing it didn't go well,'' Ruby murmured as she winced and rose to her feet, straightening his collar for him.

Dean hesitated, sharing a look with Lisa. ''It...didn't go the way we wanted, no. But - ''

''It was awful,'' Lisa stated bluntly, ugly scowl marring her pretty face. ''That woman is horrible.'' But then she beamed and patted Ruby on the shoulder. ''But good luck though!''

Ruby sighed.

When Ruby made her way into the classroom with Evan, she held her breath. Evan was practically shaking with a mixture of nerves and excitement. Ruby just wanted to get this over with. Things actually surprisingly started out smooth. Mrs. Laurel took her around the classroom, showed her some of Evan's work, and then they talked about his strengths and weaknesses. Ruby beamed with pride when she listened to all of the things her son excelled at. As for the things he didn't excel at, she wasn't totally surprised. He wasn't good in gym class and he did have some issues with his handwriting and printing. And then, of course, there was the playing with others factor.

When they started getting into his willingness to work with others, Mrs. Laurel asked Evan to go wait outside. That was when the alarms sounded in Ruby's head. Nothing good could come from this. Swallowing hard, Ruby turned to Evan, who looked hesitant to leave the room, looking in between his teacher and his mother uncertainly. ''It's okay, buddy,'' she smiled brightly. ''Dean and Lisa took your sister and Ben outside to the basketball court - '' She did not miss the way Mrs. Laurel's already sour face soured even more at the mention of Dean and Lisa '' - You put your jacket on and go straight there, okay?''

Evan glanced back and forth between the two women once more, hesitated, and then nodded, turning to walk slowly out of the room. Ruby bit down on her bottom lip as she watched him go.

''Ms. Connors,'' Mrs. Laurel began, then paused. ''It is Ms, right? Not Mrs?''

Ruby sighed and worked hard to keep her face carefully blank. ''Yes, it's still Ms. Same as the last time you asked.''

''Yes,'' Laurel's lips thinned even more. ''Right. _Ms_ - '' Cue the unnecessary emphasis on Ms '' - Connors. Does Evan have a strong male presence in his life? I'm assuming not.''

''Have you ever heard that old saying about assuming, Mrs. Laurel?'' She asked, careful to keep her voice extra pleasant as she crossed one leg over the other. ''Because I'm sorry to wreck any theories you may have about my son, but lack of a male presence isn't scarring him in any way. What his father doesn't give him, Dean more than makes up for.''

Mrs. Laurel tilted her head to one side. ''Dean? Dean Winchester?'' She questioned dryly. ''Do you really think he's the right sort of character to allow your son to model himself after?''

''I think,'' Ruby started quietly. ''That Evan doesn't need to model himself after anyone. I also think that if he _was_ going to model himself after anyone, I would want it to be Dean. I think Dean's a great man.'' She shrugged and gave the older woman a wide smile. ''But then again, you can't really say what Dean's like outside of school, can you? I mean, you wouldn't want to make the wrong assumption, would you?''

Mrs. Laurel sucked in a breath. ''...I suppose not.''

Feeling smug, Ruby leaned back in her chair. ''Is there anything else you wanted to discuss, Mrs. Laurel?''

Seemingly regaining her bearings, Mrs. Laurel cleared her throat and clasped her hands over her desk. ''Evan is an incredibly bright boy,'' she began. Ruby could already sense the big giant _BUT _that was coming. ''But - '' Called it '' - His number one weakness is his ability to interact with others. He's standoffish - ''

''He's shy.''

'' - And he only seems to have one friend, who, by the way - ''

''Is a wonderful little boy with excellent parents? I agree with you there.''

''Ms. Connors,'' Mrs. Laurel sighed in exasperation. Her voice was tight and clipped and her entire body language was frustrated. Her wrinkled face seemed permanently pinched. She was like a living, breathing example of that little white lie parents told their kids to get them to stop making faces when they were forced to eat their vegetables. _If you keep making that face, it'll stay that way._ Apparently no one had told Edna Laurel that fable. The woman shook her head and looked away from Ruby briefly, shuffling the papers on her desk as she muttered under her breath. Whether it was a conscious effort to get a dig in or if it was just proof that the woman didn't know how to mumble, Ruby heard exactly what Laurel mumbled under his breath. ''This is why babies shouldn't have babies.''

And there it was.

''Ms. Connors,'' she began once again, speaking crisply. ''When a child acts the way your son does, the only explanation is that - ''

''It must be my fault?'' Ruby cut in incredulously.

''In previous cases, the child's home life - ''

''My child's home life is fine,'' Ruby bit out through her teeth. ''Sometimes children are just shy, Mrs. Laurel. Maybe it's something Evan will grow out of or maybe it's something he'll grow into and learn to deal with. I don't know yet. You want to know why? Because he's seven years old. He is a seven year old boy who doesn't need his teacher judging him because he's shy.''

''I'm not judging him because he's shy,'' Mrs. Laurel said calmly.

Ruby's shoulders sagged in defeat and she shook her head, all of a sudden feeling tired and alone. ''No, you're judging me. You're judging me because... Why exactly are you judging me? Is it because I can't provide him with a live in father figure?'' She paused and leaned a little closer, trying to meet the teacher's eyes. ''Or is it because I'm young?''

''There is no need to get so hostile, Ms. Connors,'' Mrs. Laurel spat out. ''Honestly, your temper - ''

''My temper is consistent with that of a mother being attacked. Just tell me,'' Ruby stood to tower over Mrs. Laurel. ''Do you look down on me because of my age?'' Laurel's silence was all that was needed. Ruby chuckled bitterly, trying not to show her hurt. ''Do you have kids, Mrs. Laurel?'' She asked softly.

The teacher nodded her head. ''I do. I have four of them. They're adults now.''

''And how did you raise them?''

''I don't think that's any of your business.''

''You're absolutely right,'' Ruby nodded. ''It's not. It's not any of my business and I'm not going to step in where I don't belong.'' Heart racing out of rage and a hurt that went deeper than it should have been allowed to, she spun on her heel to walk away. She was not going to just stand there and let some bitter old hag attack her. ''You know,'' she added on an afterthought, turning around once more to face Mrs. Laurel. ''The truth is, age doesn't matter. There are women out there who are well past the acceptable age of child rearing, whatever that age may be, and they're terrible mothers. I'll bet there's a scared seventeen year old girl out there somewhere still living with her parents while she raises her baby and she could easily be a better mom than some stereotypical thirty five year old woman out in the suburbs with three kids, a Bentley, and a husband with a cushy job. The only thing that matters when it comes to parenting is parenting and how you do it. Age is just a number. I would think that with all your years of teaching experience, all your years of _living _experience, that you would know that by now.''

* * *

><p><strong>Cinderella:<strong>_ Oh, no. No, it isn't true. It's just no use. No use at all. I can't believe. Not anymore. There's nothing left to believe in. Nothing.  
><em>**Fairy Godmother: **_Nothing, my dear? Oh, now you don't really mean that.  
><em>**Cinderella: **_Oh, but I do...  
><em>**Fairy Godmother: **_Nonsense, child. If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here. And here I am.  
><em>_**- Cinderella (1950)**_

* * *

><p>Okay, so Dean wasn't seriously worried that Edna Laurel had murdered Ruby and stuffed her body in a locker but at this point, he wasn't going to rule out anything. Ruby had been gone for awhile and it didn't hurt to check. Laurel did have dead eyes, after all. After leaving the kids with Lisa and Keith, Dean set off to find Ruby, hoping against hope that she hadn't been chopped into little pieces and dipped in holy water by some crazy hag who thought she was a major ass sinner. It was somewhat comforting to find that Ruby wasn't still in Mrs. Laurel's classroom (when he poked his head in, Mrs. Laurel was in the middle of tearing down Katie's mom and dad like a wrinkly old Godzilla) but that only left the question of where she was.<p>

Just when he was about to go check Edna's old clunker of a car for body parts, he found her. She was sitting in the darkened gymnasium, up on the bleachers, and she did not look happy. He supposed that was mostly to be expected. No one looked happy after having a one on one with Laurel. She was like some sort of embarrassing disease. You didn't want to tell anyone about what she did to you, but it was always there in the back of your mind making you feel absolutely miserable about yourself.

Dean sighed and leaned against the door to the gym. ''Didn't go well, huh?''

Ruby looked up sharply and offered him a small, weak half smile before lowering her gaze again. He licked his lips and pushed off the doorframe, moving towards her. ''Did you know I was married when I had Evan?'' She asked quietly when he hesitated in front of the bleachers.

He nodded slowly. ''I did.''

''Did you know I was married before Evan was even...a twinkle in my eye?''

He climbed the bleachers, keeping the look on his face calm and expressionless as he took a seat next to her. ''That I didn't know.''

''Yeah.'' She nodded, a strange sort of wobbly smile coming to rest on her lips. ''I've never really talked about my marriage, have I?''

''You don't have to.''

She shrugged. ''Doesn't matter. It's over, isn't it?'' She took a breath, looking down at her hands. ''I got married right after my seventeenth birthday. I don't even know why really. I don't remember how we ever decided we were ready for that, but...yeah, we were married. And I could have told Mrs. Laurel that. I could have told her that I had a husband and a job and I could have told her that I graduated at the top of my class, but that wouldn't have changed anything.''

Dean's fingers itched to touch her, to comfort her somehow, but he was frozen, held in place by the brokenness in her voice. ''No,'' he agreed. ''Probably not.''

''I'm not a slut,'' she said suddenly, looking up at him with a fiercely determined look in her eyes. It would have been a truly beautiful thing to see, that bright spark, if she didn't look so sad. ''I'm not some slutty little girl who couldn't keep her legs closed. I'm just a young mother. I'm sick of people assuming that those two things are identical because they're not. I had been with Travis since I was fourteen and by the time I was seventeen, he was all I knew. Marriage to us just seemed like the next logical step. We truly thought we would be together forever. We thought marriage would be fun. A few days before my eighteenth birthday, I found out I was pregnant and I made the choice to keep my baby and raise it. None of that makes me a slut. A little misguided maybe, but not a slut.'' There were tears glistening in her eyes by the time she was finished. Honestly, Dean wasn't sure if he had ever seen her cry. She had it rough, he knew that. He knew certain things wore her down. It was just her. She didn't have family here, the kids' father wasn't here. She was alone, and he knew how stressed she could get. But he wondered if she ever just let herself break down and cry. She was so determined to be strong for her kids, he was betting she hadn't sat down and had a real good cry in a long time.

''Ruby - ''

''I am doing the best that I can,'' she said, voice breaking. ''I have worked so hard to get where I am.''

''Oh, sweetheart,'' he brushed hair away from her neck. ''I know that.''

''I moved here to get away from people like her.'' She paused, looking down at her hands. ''My parents are people like her,'' she admitted quietly, as if that was the first time she had ever told anyone that. ''I mean,'' her voice softened slightly and some of the air went out of her. ''I understand that when you're a parent, you're always going to second guess yourself. Am I doing this right? Could I be doing better? Should I have given my kid that much sugar? But when it feels like the whole world is watching you and waiting for you to screw up because you're young and therefore must be incompetent it's all just so much harder.'' She had to stop, swallowing thickly. When she spoke up again, her voice shook. ''And it won't ever stop. All I'll ever be to those people is the embodiment of sin and damnation. Some stupid reckless girl who spread her legs for a boy and has to live with her mistakes for the rest of her life.'' She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly before opening them and turning her gaze to him like she was waiting for him to speak.

''...Well...'' He began slowly, pinching his lips together. He looked out at the empty gymnasium for a moment and then looked right back at her. ''So what?''

She blinked at him, lips thinning. ''Excuse me?''

He shrugged, something fiery starting in his chest. ''So what?'' He repeated. ''Fuck 'em. Fuck what they think. What do _you _think?''

She, for some reason, looked startled by that question. ''W-What?''

''Do you think,'' he tipped her chin up and wiped the tears off her cheek with the pad of his thumb. ''That you made the right choice in having Evan and Annabelle?''

When she answered without a moment of hesitation, ''Absolutely,'' he couldn't help but grin.

''Then why do you care so much about what other people think?'' He asked bluntly. ''Ruby, people like Edna will always find something to judge you on. From the clothes you wear to the way you raise your kids. If it's not one thing, it's another. You think you're the only one the world watches? You're not. The world watches all of us,'' he deadpanned. ''Every person out there is just waiting for someone else to screw up. It takes the focus off their own fuck ups. Why do you think people laugh when they see someone fall over? Face it, sweetheart. People suck. That's just the way it goes. You know what Lisa's got? She's got people snickering at her behind her back and people mistaking her for Keith's daughter because of their age difference. You know what Mom's got? She's got people in the food industry looking down on her because she's a woman.'' He leaned in closer to her, jaw set, eyes glinting. ''You know what I've got? I've got some old broad who thinks she's the queen of everything telling me that my kid is as dumb as a box of rocks because of me.'' He stopped, just long enough to swallow down his own hurt, anger, and wounded pride. ''You've got a scarlet letter,'' he said evenly, meeting her eyes. ''Congratulations. You're just like the rest of us. You want to know what you do now? You stop caring so much about what other people think of you. You stop taking life so damn seriously all of the damn time and enjoy the ride. Go out and dance in public. Make a fool of yourself. Talk in a British accent for a week. Go a day without showering. If the world's gonna watch you, give 'em something to watch. Show them you don't care. You take that scarlet letter and you wear it. Own it. Because that's the hand you've been dealt, Ruby. You don't get another.''

She stared up at him for a moment and then laughed a choked sounding laugh, wiping at her eyes again. ''But is it ever really that easy?''

''No,'' was his honest answer. ''It's not easy at all. It's never easy. But it's life. You do it anyway. You can't let other people boss you around. Hey,'' he nudged her shoulder. ''Don't let the haters get you down. Haven't you ever heard of that?''

A slow smile spread over her lips and she sniffed, wiping at her eyes one last time. She didn't look at him, eyes staring straight ahead like she was watching an invisible screen. They were both silent for a comfortable moment and then she slipped her arm through his, startling him greatly. ''Dean...'' He turned to look at her, all red eyes and dried tears. He still thought she was beautiful. ''She's wrong about us, right? We're good parents?''

''Well, our kids are happy, aren't they?''

''Yes, I think they're all very happy.''

''And they're healthy?''

''Yes.''

''And we do the best we can with what we're given?''

''Always.''

''Then I think we're doing just fine, Ruby.'' He leaned down to kiss her forehead quickly, and then he stood, offering her his hand. ''Now what do you say we get back to the kids? Come on, it's been a long night. Let's take the rugrats for pizza.''

He noted, with a certain careful amount of triumph, that she didn't hesitate like she used to before accepting the hand he offered her. That, my friend, was progress.

* * *

><p><em>''What is REAL?'' asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. ''Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?''<br>__''Real isn't how you are made,'' said the Skin Horse. ''It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real.''  
><em>_''Does it hurt?'' asked the Rabbit.  
><em>_''Sometimes,'' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ''When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.''  
><em>_''Does it happen all at once, like being wound up?'' he asked, ''or bit by bit?''  
><em>_''It doesn't happen all at once,'' said the Skin Horse. ''You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to the people who don't understand.''  
><em>_**- The Velveteen Rabbit (1922)**_

* * *

><p>Later that night, their little tummies full of pizza, Annabelle and Evan got to bed relatively easy. There was very little fighting from Annabelle because she was exhausted and had most likely worn herself out when she threw a tantrum when she was torn away from Dean. She only demanded one and a half stories, which was a big improvement. Evan, although he never resisted bedtime, usually had troubles falling asleep, but tonight he was so tired it was practically lights out as soon as he lay down.<p>

Ruby, however, remained wide awake well into the night. Ruby wasn't a sleeper. She just wasn't good at it. Sleep didn't exactly sound like something that involved skill, but as Ruby had learned from a very early age, it most definitely was. Sleep never came easily to her. She was just like Evan in that aspect. She would toss and turn and have nightmares and she'd wake up every other hour. It frustrated her to no end and frustration wasn't really recommended when you were trying to get to sleep. It had always been like that. When she was pregnant, she blamed it on the aches and pains of pregnancy or the terrible morning sickness or the fact that babies liked to squeeze your bladder. When the kids were babies, she would blame it on their infant sleeping patterns.

She had pretty much diagnosed herself with chronic insomnia. Which meant she did a lot of late night cleaning and watched a lot of late night infomercials and old movies. Tonight was no different. Absently flicking through the channels, Ruby stifled a yawn and slunk farther down into the bed. With the volume turned almost all the way down and some old black and white movie glowing softly on the television, she laid down and tried to let the sound of the boring movie lull her to sleep. Just as she was on the brink of falling into dreamland, her bedroom door creaked open. Her eyes snapped open and she rolled over, catching sight of Evan creeping into the room, looking anxious and apologetic. ''Evan? Baby, what are you doing up?'' She sat up and pulled the covers back to let her son crawl into bed with her, opening her arms for him. ''I thought you were asleep.''

''I, uh...'' He trailed off, sitting down on the bed gingerly and picking at the comforter. ''I can't sleep.''

She smoothed hair away from his forehead, checking for a fever out of instinct. ''Not feeling well?'' She asked gently. ''Did you have too much pizza at dinner? Sweetie, you should never try to keep up with those Winchester boys when it comes to eating.''

''No,'' he shook his head, gaze still lowered to the blankets. ''That's not it. I just...'' He sunk his teeth into his lower lip and when he looked up, his eyes were big and round. ''Mom, I know I'm not supposed to eavesdrop and I swear I didn't mean to, but...I...I heard Dean and Lisa talking about Ben. They said he needs to try harder. They were talking like it was his fault that he's not good in school, but it's not true. Everyone says he just needs to try harder, but he already does. He tries really hard. Mom...'' he looked over his shoulder like he expected his best friend to burst into the room and tell him to keep his mouth shut. ''I need to tell you something. Ben told me not to tell anyone, but I...'' He shook his head. ''I have to tell you.''

He paused, took a deep breath, and then opened his mouth to speak.

* * *

><p><em>''Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?''<br>__''Supposing it didn't,'' said Pooh after a careful thought.  
><em>_Piglet was comforted by this.  
><em>_**- The House at Pooh Corner (1928)**_

* * *

><p>''You're wrong.''<p>

And with that vehement, adamant, and powerful statement, Dean spun on his heel and stormed away from Ruby, disappearing into his kitchen.

A grunt of frustration bubbled in her throat, but she swallowed it down and chased after him. ''Dean, would you just listen to me?''

''No,'' he all but shouted. ''I won't!'' She huffed at his indignation and walked into the kitchen, watching somewhat anxiously as Dean pulled out a very large, very scary looking knife from a drawer and started to roughly chop something she couldn't see. ''I won't listen to you because you're trying to tell me there's something wrong with my son,'' he growled. He whirled around suddenly, big knife still clenched tightly in his hand. ''There's nothing wrong with my son, Ruby!''

''Dean, God!'' She reeled back. ''Knife! Big knife!''

He glanced at his hand, seemed to startle when he spotted the knife, and sighed heavily, placing it back down on the counter.

She let out a breath. ''Nobody's saying there's something wrong with him.''

''You!'' He jabbed a finger at her, eyes lit up in anger and denial. ''You're saying!''

''No,'' she stated calmly. ''I'm just saying...'' She paused and danced around him to pluck the knife from the counter and move it far, far away. ''All I'm asking you, Dean, is... Have you ever even entertained the idea that Ben might have a learning disorder?''

''No,'' he snarled. ''Because he doesn't.''

''But how would you know that if you've never gotten him tested?'' She asked logically. Aha. Gotcha now, sucker.

''Because I would know!'' He burst out, spreading his arms wide. ''Okay? I would know if he needed...I would know if there was a problem, Ruby. I'm his dad.'' His shoulders seemed to sag in defeat quite suddenly and all of the fight slowly drained out of him, downtrodden eyes looking away from her. ''I would know.''

''Dean...'' She glided over to him, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly. ''You know I love Ben. You know that, right?''

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. ''Yeah,'' he muttered hoarsely. ''I know that.''

''Well, from what Evan's told me - ''

''You're going to trust the word of a seven year old?''

''When it's my seven year old, absolutely. That's my job.'' She leaned back against the counter, keeping her hand on his arm. ''Listen, from what Evan's told me, Ben's problems in school aren't because he doesn't try. Evan says he tries really hard. The problem is that he has a hard time understanding things. Basic things. Evan's been helping him as much as he can and Ben made him promise not to tell anyone because he doesn't want anyone to know he's stupid.''

''Then I'll hire a friggin' tutor,'' Dean promised broadly. ''A really fucking expensive one. The best.''

''Good,'' she nodded. ''That's a good start. But I still think you need to get him tested. You need to know the kind of help he needs. You can't just stick him in a room with a pompous tutor and expect him to learn everything in an hour. That's not the way it works.''

Dean silenced and dropped his head into his hands, raking his hands through his hair. ''I...I'll have to run the idea by Lisa first.''

''Of course.'' Ruby frowned at the heartbroken look in Dean's eyes. ''I just want to know that if he needs some extra help, he'll get it.''

He cleared his throat. ''Yeah.''

''You know, Dean, even if Ben does have dyslexia, it's not a death sentence.'' She hopped up on the counter. ''This doesn't have to ruin his life. I mean,'' she paused, biting down on her lip before she let her own secret slip. ''Look at me.''

Dean turned to look at her sharply, lips parting. ''You - ''

''Have dyslexia?'' She nodded. ''Yes. It's why I don't use recipes. I have a hard time understanding them. But it didn't ruin my life, did it? And you know what else, Dean? I can blame my parents for a lot of shitty things in my childhood, but this had nothing to do with them so if you're thinking of blaming yourself, which I know you are, you might as well stop right now.''

Lips turned downwards, Dean leaned back against the counter beside her, rubbing his forehead wearily. ''You really think he could have this?''

''I...think there's a chance,'' she said softly.

''Well, what happens if he does have it?''

''Help him,'' she said simply. ''Patience and understanding are the big things. You can't fault him for not being able to understand some things but you can't baby him either. Your tutoring idea is a good one, but...Dean, because he's so young, the number one thing he'll need if he does have a learning disorder is his dad.''

''And what if they try to stick him in some special class?'' He asked anxiously. ''What if they try to separate him and Evan? You can't say you're not worried about that, Ruby. Evan needs Ben just like Ben needs Evan.''

''I think we'll have to cross that bridge if we come to it,'' she said reasonably. ''If any of that happens, we'll deal. But until then...'' She hopped down from the counter and moved over to him to touch his cheek gently. ''...This is the hand you've been dealt, Dean,'' she whispered in his ear. She pretended she didn't notice the way goosebumps rose on his arm or the way he inhaled sharply because now was not the time for that, but she did take a step away and squeezed his arm instead. ''You don't get another.''

* * *

><p><strong>Rapunzel: <strong>_And the thing is, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?  
><em>**Flynn Rider: **_...I'm starting to.  
><em>_**- Tangled (2010)**_

**end chapter three**


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